El Salvador - IOM and UNFPA yesterday wrapped up a USD 1.7 million project funded by Finland and the Netherlands aimed at reducing gender violence in El Salvador, a small country that registered 575 femicides in 2015.

With its Prevention of Violence against Women BA1 project, IOM promoted self-employment among women, in order to strengthen their autonomy. Some 504 women were given seed capital to start businesses to support their families.

"When they spoke of seed capital, I thought that they were talking about tomato seeds or something that I could plant. If things went wrong, I could always sell the seed that they would give me,” laughs Maria Angela Escobar, 40, a survivor of domestic violence.

"I thought I would receive the seed right away, but it took about eight months of trainings. They talked about business, about management, about how to build a business that you like and that will generate profits. Before I received the seed capital, they supported me psychologically, and trained me. That’s when I felt that I could breathe again and I realized that I'm worth a lot,” she adds.

With the funds that she received, she bought sewing machines and equipment to set up a dressmaking business. "I am alone in the business, but I always have work. I have made many beautiful party dresses, as if they were out of a magazine, and I loved it because it meant that I had woken up. I was a seamstress and had ideas, but did not have the right machines. Now I have, thanks to the seed money.”

In addition to the distribution of seed capital and training, the project strengthened capacities to tackle gender-based violence in 10 badly affected municipalities, as well as in 10 other national government institutions and in civil society.

The 10 targeted municipalities (Acajutla, Ciudad Delgado, La Union, Mejicanos, San Martin, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa Ana, Santa Tecla and Soyapango) also formulated prevention plans for violence against women and 11 units for specialized assistance were refurbished and equipped.

Over 3,300 students from the municipalities were trained; also journalists and institutional communicators received training in techniques to avoid promoting violence and discrimination against women in their work.

"We believe that discrimination against women violates the principles of equality and respect for human dignity; and that the development of a country is measured based on the fulfilment of the fundamental rights inherent in every person. This implies working with governments in the region to assist in identifying and overcoming obstacles and helping vulnerable women and girls," said IOM’s Chief of Mission for El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Jorge Peraza Breedy.

"This project has changed El Salvador. It has strengthened not only local but national institutions. By creating a national care system for the victims, while including not only the government, but the State as a whole, the project has generated a historical instrument in the country because there was nothing like this. The project facilitated the creation of these fundamental tools for ensuring the rights of women," said Executive Director of the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU) Yanira Argueta.

The BA1 project is part of the Security Strategy for Central America (ESCA) of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and was executed by IOM and UNFPA in Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic, with financial support from Finland and the Netherlands.

For more information, please contact Alba Miriam Amaya at IOM El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Tel. + 503 2521-0500, Email: aamaya@iom.int