UN Women continues working to make Timor-Leste university campus safer
Date:
Author: Sylvio da Fonseca
Dili, Timor-Leste — UN Women is expanding its efforts to create a safer environment at a majoruniversity campus as part of a joint United Nations project to prevent and respond to violence against women andgirls in Timor-Leste.
Under the Together for Equality project, UN Women works with public institutions, local authorities, communities,civil society organizations and the media to prevent and respond to violence in public and private spaces. UN Womenhas partnered with themedia outlet Timor Post on gender-sensitive reporting, the Baucau Municipal Authority on Safe Baucau and SafeMarkets, and the National University of Timor-Lorosa’e (UNTL) in Dili on the Safe Campus Initiative.
In 2020, a UN Women-UNTL “women’s safety audit walk” with students identified areas of securityconcern on campus. Recommendations included appointing a university coordinator to work on issues of violenceagainst women, establishingessential services for anyone who is sexually harassed, changing harmful norms and attitudes, and improvingfacilities to enhance safety.
On 14 October, a technical working group chaired by the university rector was formed to discuss how to implementthose recommendations and devise strategy for the Safe Campus Initiative. The group held its first meeting the sameday. The 25-member groupcomprises lecturers and students from the university’s five campuses; representatives of government agenciesincluding the Civil Service Commission and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Culture; and UN Women.
UN Women plans to later expand the Safe Campus initiative to other universities in Timor-Leste.
The Together for Equality project runs from November 2020 to November 2024 and is funded by the Korean InternationalCooperation Agency (KOICA). UN Women implements the project along with United Nations Development Programme, UnitedNations PopulationFund, and UN Migration, and in coordination with Timor-Leste’s Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion.
Nishtha Satyam, UN Women’s Head of Office for Timor-Leste, said of the commitment of the technical workinggroup: “UN Women will work with UNTL in implementing the Safe Campus Initiative through building capacity forprovision of essentialservices and support awareness-raising and advocacy efforts to promote respectful relationships in publicspaces.”
Said UNTL Rector Prof. Dr. João Soares Martins: “UNTL has already been active in tackling the issuessurrounding gender-based violence on campus through providing counselling to students, teachers and all staff whoexperience all forms ofviolence. Since all the faculties and senates are involved and will be actively engaged in this initiative, the workto ensure a safe campus will be more structured and well-organized.”
“Through the Safe Campus Initiative, college graduates - both women and men - will become game-changers towardsthe development of the communities,” said Eunju Cha, Country Director of the KOICA Timor-Leste Office.“It's imperative thatthey are aware of and equipped with the mind-set of gender equality.”
Ending violence against women and girls is one of the strategic priorities of UN Women in Timor-Leste and globally. AUN Women scopingstudy done in 2017-2018 in Dili, including in public spaces and education settings, showed that sexualharassment was common in Timor-Leste’s capital.
UN Women kontinua asegura kampus iha Timor-Leste seguru liu tan
Autór: Sylvio da Fonseca
Data: Tersa, Novembru 16, 2021
Dili, Timor-Leste — UN Women haluan esforsu atu kria ambiente ne'ebé seguru iha kampusuniversidade sira, hanesan parte ida hosi projetu konjuntu Nasoins Unidas nian atu prevene no responde ba violénsiahasoru feto no labarik-feto sira iha Timor-Leste.
Liuhosi projetu Hamutuk ba Igualdade, UN Women servisu hamutuk ho instituisaun públiku sira, autoridade lokál,komunidade, organizasaun sosiedade sivil no média sira atu prevene no responde ba violénsia iha fatin públiku noprivadu sira. UN Women halo ona parseria ho instituisaun média Timor Post atu servisu foka ba reportajen sensivel bajéneru, Autoridade Munisípiu Baucau ba Inisiativa Baucau Seguru no Merkadu Seguru, no Universidade NasionálTimor-Lorosa’e (UNTL) iha Dili ba Inisiativa Kampus Seguru.
“Auditoria ba Feto-nia Seguransa” ne’ebé halo konjuntu entre UN Women – UNTL, involve la'o hamutuk ho estudante siraiha tinan 2020 no identifika ona area relasiona ho problema seguransa iha kampus. Rekomendasaun sira inklui nomeiaKoordenador universidade ida atu servisu ba asuntu violénsia kontra feto, estabelese servisu esensiál ba ema sirane'ebé esperiénsia asediu seksuál, muda norma no atitude ladiak, no hadiak fasilidade seguransa.
Iha 14 Outubru, grupu traballu tékniku ida ne'ebé prezide hosi reitór universidade forma tiha hodi diskute oinsá atuimplementa rekomendasaun hirak ne'e no planu estratéjia ba Inisiativa Kampus Seguru. Grupu ne'e hala'o sorumutudahuluk iha loron hanesan. Ho membru na’in 25, grupu ne'e kompostu hosi dosente no estudante sira hosi kampus lima(5); reprezentante hosi ajénsia Governu sira inklui Komisaun Funsaun Públiku no Ministériu Ensinu Superiór, Siénsiano Kultura; no UN Women.
UN Women iha planu atu depois haluan tan Inisiativa Kampus Seguru ba universidade sira seluk iha Timor-Leste.
Projetu Hamutuk ba Igualdade ne’e komesa iha Novembru 2020 no sei remata iha Novembru 2024, ho suporta fundus hosiKOICA. UN Women implementa projetu ne’e hamutuk ho UNDP, UNFPA no IOM ho koordenasaun ho Sekretária Estadu baIgualdade no Inkluzaun (SEII).
Nishtha Satyam, UN Women Timor-Leste nia Xefe Edifisiu, fó komentariu ba komitmentu grupu traballu tékniku: “UN Womensei servisu hamutuk ho UNTL ba implementasaun Inisiativa Kampus Seguru liuhosi hasa’e kapasidade prestadór servisuesensiál sira no suporta esforsu atu hasa’e koñesimentu no advokasia atu promove relasaun ne’ebé ho respeitu ihafatin públiku.
Liafuan hosi UNTL Reitor Prof. Dr. João Soares Martins: “UNTL ativu tiha ona hodi responde ba kestaun violénsiabazeia ba jéneru iha kampus, liuhosi fornese akonsellamentu ba estudante, profesór no funsionáriu sira ne'ebéesperiénsia forma violénsia hotu-hotu. Tanba fakuldade no senadu hotu sei envolve ativamente iha inisiativa idane'e, servisu atu asegura kampus seguru sei sai organizadu diak liu tan.”
Liuhosi Inisiativa Kampus Seguru, graduadu universitariu sira – feto no mane – sei sai autór ba mudansa badezenvolvimentu komunidade sira nian.” hateten Eunju Cha, Diretora Nasionál ba KOICA iha Timor-Leste. Ida ne’ekrítiku atu sira iha konsiénsia no ekipadu ho hanoin sira kona-ba igualdade jéneru.”
Hapara violénsia hasoru feto no labarik-feto sira sai hanesan prioridade estratéjiku ba UN Women iha Timor-Leste noglobalmente. UN Women nia EstuduEsploratóriu ne'ebé hala'o iha 2017-2018 iha Dili, inklui fatin públiku no fatin edukasaun sira, subliñakatak asédiu seksuál sai hanesan akontesimentu babain iha Timor-Leste nia kapital.