In Benin, Ivory Coast, and Niger, Ligues des Droits des Femmes (the women’s rights leagues) are uniting their efforts in an ambitious project: creating national systems to collect high-quality data on gender-based violence (GBV). The goal is to establish reliable and indisputable data to understand the true scope of GBV and implement effective public policies that can address it.
OFFICIAL DATA: THE SUBMERGED PART OF THE ICEBERG
“Without effective and high-quality data on GBV, there is no effective fight, and no incentive for authorities to implement public policies for prevention, sanctioning perpetrators, and supporting survivors.” — Member of Ligues des Droits des Femmes.
In all three countries, data on gender-based violence is produced and shared by various organizations or institutions, each with its protocols, calculation methods, and analytical systems. As a result, the data is neither reliable nor representative of the situation across the entire area. According to the Ligues des Droits des Femmes, although government platforms do exist, they rarely publish or share data, and they need to be optimized. By creating a unified protocol, the leagues aim to improve the reliability of these data so they accurately reflect the realities of GBV in all three countries.
In Benin, Ivory Coast, and Niger, recent qualitative and quantitative data on GBV is virtually nonexistent. Available data collection systems are not widely known, and they do not provide comprehensive data. Yet the situation in each of these countries is alarming. The public statistics only scratch the surface of the overall problem. Survivors often remain silent—due to fear of their attackers, the judgment of their communities, a lack of trust in institutions, or because they don’t know where to turn for help. This silence is compounded by socio-cultural taboos and the stigma surrounding victims, which stand as barriers to speaking out.
KEEPING TRACK OF THE CAMPAIGN
“The three countries where this project operates share similar realities when it comes to gender-based and sexual violence against women and girls. These issues need urgent attention, and coordinated regional action is required.” — Member of Ligues des Droits des Femmes.
Compter pour toutes is the mission the Ligues des Droits des Femmes have set for themselves. Press conferences, digital campaigns, workshops with survivors, public events, and meetings with national institutions—these are just some of the ways these women’s rights leagues are tirelessly working to convince decision-makers of the urgent need for reliable data on GBV. In Benin, Niger, and Ivory Coast, judicial procedures are not widely known. They are complex, time-consuming, and expensive, which hinders victims’ access to justice.
Take the case of Ivory Coast: according to official data, 416 femicides were recorded in 2019 and 2020, and 5,405 GBV cases were reported and handled by social services in 2019. Given the country’s population of over 28 million and the global estimate that one in three women will experience violence in their lifetime, these figures seem skewed and incomplete. Concrete commitments, law enforcement, and the resources dedicated to tackling GBV remain limited. For instance, the country has only one public center for welcoming and sheltering GBV victims.
As in the other two countries, the lack of reliable data on GBV in Ivory Coast severely hampers the recognition of the issue at the national level and prevents victims from accessing justice. However, organizations like the women’s rights leagues are mobilizing, despite often being constrained by low budgets. Feminist organizations play a crucial role as intermediaries between institutions and communities, pushing the fight against gender-based violence forward.
Follow the campaign and stay updated on the latest news from Ligues des Droits des Femmes:
La ligue Béninoise (Beninese women’s rights league)
La ligue Ivoirienne (Ivorian women’s rights league
La ligue Nigérienne (Nigerien women’s rights league)