Author: Sylvio da Fonseca

English | Tetun

Bobonaro, Timor-Leste — Thanks to a UN Women programme, hundreds of schoolchildren and their parents in Timor-Leste have learned how to treat each other with greater respect in the classroom, at home and in the community.

UN Women works with educational institutions, civil society organizations Alola Foundation and Mane ho Vizaun Foun (Men with a New Vision) and the Ministry of Education to run the Connect with Respect programme on preventing violence against women and girls by promoting healthy relationship in 15 schools in three municipalities of Timor-Leste.

The two civil society organizations give the training to a total of 450 parents – most of them farmers — and then a separate set of trainings to a total of 450 of children in school. The idea is for the parents to help their children apply what they learn and to foster healthy relationships at home. This holistic approach engages parents, teachers and students to prevent violence against women and girls, and to respond to any violence they may experience in, around and on the way to school.

Bento Pereira, a parent from Bobonaro municipality who took the training, said: “Education at home is crucial, instilling our children with gender equality values will determine the way they respect women and girls throughout their lifetime.”

Connect with Respect is a one-year programme that ends in December. It is part of the European Union-United Nations Spotlight Initiative, a global, multi-year programme aimed at ending all forms of violence against women and girls.

Parents in the programme sessions were engaged in activities including doing role-plays to counter harmful gender roles and expectations, discussing their relationship with their children at home, and analyzing videos of harmful parent-children relationships and how they can avoid this.

Said parent Amaro Ribeiro Amaral from Viqueque municipality: “Traditionally, educating children through physical forms of discipline was deemed appropriate, but the more I learn about respectful communication with children, I realize that children can become much closer to the parents through other forms of discipline. Thus, improve the relationships at home and set a good example for the community.”

“What we learn is completely new and most parents in rural areas face difficulties in reading and writing and were never given the opportunity to participate in trainings like this,” said Leonor Gago, a parent from Ermera municipality. “Now we are all empowered to become change-makers, not just for ourselves but most importantly our children”.

Jaime Brites, another parent from Ermera, said: “With every positive action we learn, we will definitely pass it on to our family members and other parents in the community. If all the parents start doing this, just imagine how many people we can reach?”

In Timor-Leste, at least one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence during her lifetime. Research shows that exposure to violence is high among people 15–19, indicating that it often starts early in women’s lives. Timor-Leste is one of the countries that benefits from the Spotlight Initiative funded by the European Union, with support of the government, civil society, UN agencies and other partners in the eradication of violence against women and girls.

 

Programa UN Women nian iha Timor-Leste ajuda hakmaan violénsia iha eskola no uma

Data: Segunda, Novembru 29, 2021

Autór: Sylvio da Fonseca

English | Tetun

Bobonaro, Timor-Leste — Obrigadu ba programa UN Women nian, labarik atus ba atus no sira-nia inan-aman iha Timor-Leste aprende ona oinsá atu trata malu ho respeitu iha klase-laran, iha uma no iha komunidade.

UN Women servisu hamutuk ho instituisaun edukasaun, organizasaun sosiedade sivíl Fundasaun Alola no Mane ho Vizaun Foun no Ministériu Edukasaun atu hala'o programa Halo Ligasaun ho Respeitu, ne’ebé mak foka ba prevensaun violénsia hasoru feto no labarik-feto liuhosi promove relasaun saudavel iha eskola hamutuk 15 iha munisípiu tolu iha Timor-Leste (Ermera, Viqueque no Bobonaro).

Organizasaun sosiedade sivíl rua ne'e fó formasaun ba inan-aman hamutuk 450 - sira barak mak agrikultór - no hafoin ida ne’e, sei fó mos formasaun ketak ida ba estudante hamutuk 450 iha eskola. Ideia ne'e ba inan-aman sira atu ajuda sira-nia oan aplika buat ne'ebé sira aprende no promove relasaun ne'ebé saudavel iha uma-laran. Aprosimasaun holistiku ida-ne'e envolve inan-aman, manorin no estudante sira atu prevene violénsia hasoru feto no labarik-feto sira, no responde ba violénsia ne'ebé sira bele esperiénsia iha eskola, besik eskola no iha dalan ba eskola.

Bento Pereira, aman ida husi munisípiu Bobonaro ne'ebé tuir formasaun ne'e, hateten: "Edukasaun iha uma-laran importante tebes, rai metin valor igualdade jéneru ba ita-nia oan sira sei determina oinsá sira respeita feto no labarik-feto sira durante sira-nia moris tomak."

Halo Ligasaun ho Respeitu mak programa ho durasaun tinan ida ne'ebé remata iha fulan Dezembru. Ida ne'e hanesan parte ida hosi Uniaun Europeia no Nasoins Unidas nia Inisiativa Spotlight, programa globál, plurianual ida-ne'ebé ninia objetivu atu hapara forma violénsia hotu-hotu hasoru feto no labarik-feto sira.

Inan-aman sira iha programa ne'e hala'o atividade sira inklui halo teatru kontra knaar bazeia ba jéneru no espetativa jéneru ne'ebé ladi'ak, diskute sira-nia relasaun ho sira-nia oan iha uma, no halo analiza ba video sira kona-ba relasaun inan-aman ho oan ne'ebé ladi'ak no oinsá sira bele evita ida-ne'e.

Aman Amaro Ribeiro Amaral hosi munisípiu Viqueque hateten: "tradisionalmente, eduka labarik sira liuhosi forma disiplina fíziku ita konsidera apropriadu liu, maibé bainhira hau aprende liu tan kona-ba komunikasaun ne'ebé ho respeitu ho labarik sira, hau komprende liu tan katak labarik sira bele sai besik liu ba inan-aman liuhosi forma disiplina sira seluk. Nune'e, hadia mos relasaun iha uma-laran no hatudu ezemplu diak ba komunidade."

"Buat sira ne'ebé ami aprende kompletamente foun mai ami no inan-aman barak iha area rural iha difikuldade atu lee no hakerek no nunka hetan oportunidade atu partisipa iha treinamentu sira hanesan ne'e," dehan Leonor Gago, inan ida hosi munisípiu Ermera. "Agora ami hotu iha kbiit atu halo mudansa, laos deit ba ami-nia an, maibé importante liu ba ami-nia oan sira."

Jaime Brites, aman ida tan hosi Ermera, hateten: "ho asaun pozitivu sira ne'ebé ami aprende, ami sei pasa ba ami-nia familia no inan-aman sira seluk iha ami-nia komunidade. Se inan-aman hotu komesa halo ida-ne'e, imajina tok buat pozitivu sira ne'ebé ami aprende ne'e sei habelar tan ba ema na'in hira?"

Iha Timor-Leste, pelumenus feto ida hosi na'in tolu hetan violénsia fíziku no / ka seksuál durante sira-nia moris tomak. Peskiza hatudu katak esposisaun ba violénsia aas tebes entre ema ho idade 15-19, ida ne'e indika katak dalabarak violénsia ne'e hahú sedu iha feto sira-nia moris. Timor-Leste nu'udar nasaun ida-ne'ebé hetan benefísiu hosi Inisiativa Spotlight ne'ebé hetan finansiamentu hosi Uniaun Europeia, ho apoiu hosi governu, sosiedade sivíl, ajénsia ONU sira no parseiru sira seluk iha misaun atu kombate violénsia hasoru feto no labarik-feto sira.