Combating violence against women in the informal sector in Honduras

Archived Project

Combating violence against women in the informal sector in Honduras

Description

In Honduras, as in other sectors of the economy, women working in the informal sector experience at times psychological and physical violence. This project aims to ensure the sustainability of the Centro de Atención Integral para las Mujeres Emprendedoras (CAIME), enabling the organization to continue its mission of defending and protecting women who experience gender-based violence. CAIME also includes an awareness-raising and educational component to combat this form of violence.

CAIME is based in the offices of the Federation of Workers in the Informal Economy Sector (FOTSSIEH) in the city of San Pedro Sula and relies on a multidisciplinary team of professionals, doctors, psychologists, social workers, lawyers, and FOTSSIEH volunteers. CAIME offers free services to women working in the informal sector.

This is made possible by voluntary contributions from members of organizations affiliated with FOTSSIEH.

However, resources remain very limited. This initiative therefore seeks to support all of CAIME’s activities and strengthen its institutional capacities so it can continue providing its services, particularly to women in the informal economy.

Year(s)

2023–2024

Region(s)

Latin America and Caribbean

Lieu(x)

Honduras

Related Challenge(s)

Rights, dignity and social justice
Women and feminism

Related Organization(s)

FOTSSIEH

Objectives

The project, funded through the Québec Sans Frontières (QSF) program of the Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie – International Solidarity, has three main objectives:

Facilitate the implementation of initiatives aimed at improving the living conditions of communities primarily located in Francophone Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Promote and consolidate the expertise of international cooperation organizations and their local partners.
Promote the creation and maintenance of partnerships by encouraging the participation of women and the organizations that represent them.

More specifically, in the case of CAIME, the objectives are as follows:

Ensure the sustained provision of free services to women in the informal sector: psychological, legal, and medical support and counselling.
Extend the existence of a confidential database that allows for the reliable and secure documentation of cases handled, while supporting data analysis and the identification of patterns and trends related to cases of gender-based violence.
Conduct awareness campaigns aimed at informing the public about gender-based violence and its various forms, fostering empathy and solidarity with victims, as well as encouraging greater public condemnation of this form of violence. In addition, this campaign also aims to involve boys and men in awareness-raising activities (e.g., positive masculinity workshops).

Partners

In Honduras, Alternatives works with the Federación de Organizaciones de Trabajadores del Sector Social e informal de la economía de Honduras (FOTSSIEH), which was founded in 2001.

Affiliated with the Confederación Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUTH), FOTSSIEH brings together 42 associations across the country’s 18 departments and represents approximately 22,000 members (80% of whom are women). Through its women’s secretariat, this trade union organization has developed a strategy aimed at strengthening the empowerment women within collectives of self-employed workers.

The Centro de Atención Integral para las Mujeres Emprendedoras (CAIME) was created by Alternatives in 2020 in Honduras as part of a project focused on empowering women working in the informal sector.