Women in Communication (Femmes en communication) FEC - Oran’s Office is realizing a project following on from the pilot mobilization action of gender equality actors which it carries as the leader of the local cluster of gender equality actors © (cycle 1). FEC has analysed the status of gender equality in Algeria in Oran, in particular, the problem of gender based violence (GBV) in Oran.

The consultations conducted in the framework of the pilot mobilization action with elected officials, institutions, associations and the media have highlighted the lack of facilities for receiving, protecting and housing women victims of GBV as a priority to meet the needs of these women.

Thus, a project was designed to establish a permanent reception, accommodation and drop-in centre (shelter) as a pilot experience to evidence, in a practical way, the need for this type of service and enable the acquisition of transferable experiences to open new reception and accommodation centres to be financed by other sources. This project aims to strengthen the existing coordination which happens episodically among the various institutional and civil society actors who are in charge of providing support for abused women.

This is a transitional step towards the establishment of a true shelter for women in Oran which should be set-up with the support of local and national authorities. The conditions are favourable for the development of this project given that the Algerian state has adopted a law against violence, which foresees helping women victims of VBG through drop-in centres to enable them to rebuild.

With the setting of a permanent reception and drop-in centre for women victims of GBV, through information and dissemination activities to publicize this permanent reception and through lobbying among national institutions and mobilizing association’s partners, the project will put in place the institutional and financial mechanisms with the aim to establish a sustainable reception and accommodation centre for women victims of GBV in Oran.

An awareness session addressed to the media will also take place in order to increase their contribution in the fight against GBV and to ensure more adequate treatment of GBV in the media as they tend to perpetuate stereotypes legitimizing this kind of violence.

This project follows the mission of the Foundation to encourage women’s empowerment. It is one of the fieldwork projects developed within the Axis 1 "Strengthening the capacity of gender equality actors" of the project “Women for the future in the Mediterranean”, funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (MAEDI) and the project "Developing Women’s Empowerment" labelled by the Union for the Mediterranean.