Working together with Ecuador's Ministry of Economic and Social
Inclusion, IOM will provide support to local authorities, national
and international organizations and civil society for a march this
week against gender-based violence (GBV).

More than 600 people will attend the event on 25 November in San
Lorenzo on Ecuador's northern border in a bid to raise awareness of
the problem and to strengthen efforts responding to it.

Since 2008 IOM has been carrying out a massive information
campaign against gender-based violence (GBV) in Limones and San
Lorenzo, as part of an emergency assistance programme.

The cantons of San Lorenzo and Limones in the Esmeraldas
province are located on the border with Colombia and are considered
two of the most vulnerable regions of the country with high levels
of gender-based violence accompanied by a lack of information on
the subject.

Designed to address human rights violations related to the
prevention of and response to gender-based violence, a partnership
was formed by IOM, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of
Health, and the National Institute for Children and the Family. It
aims to prevent and respond to situations of GBV against Colombian
women and children and other people in search of international
protection. The programme was designed to reach members of the
local community as well.

According to official figures, an estimated 83,000 women are
victims of psychological or physical abuse, including sexual abuse,
in Ecuador each year. This translates to about 7,000 gender-based
violence incidents per month and 230 each day.

The programme also includes the reinforcing clinics and
protection centres for victims, as well as providing training to
strengthen the capacity of local actors to respond to gender-based
violence.

Since October 2005, IOM has carried out a programme to address
the emergency situation faced by Colombians who flee their country
due to the violence of illegal armed groups and seek international
protection. The programme is funded by the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) and covers
Colombia's border areas with Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.

For more information contact:

Ana Guzman

IOM Ecuador

Tel: + (593-2) 226-6304/05/06/07

E-mail: "mailto:aguzman@iom.int">aguzman@iom.int