Viviana Brun presentation for the free webinar "Looking for a gender perspective in ICT4D

1. Tackling Gender-Based Violence
with the support of ICTs
Centre Seruka case study in Burundi

2. Centre Serukawww.centreseruka.org

3. Medical, psychosocial and legal support
to survivors of GBV

4. Community outreach activities
held on raising awareness on GBV

5. Why ICTs?

6. Which are the objectives?

7. Centre Seruka
needs and demands
• Improve the relationship and the communication
between the Center and the community
• Make advocacy and allow media to access and
disseminate controlled information
• Reach a greater number of people

8. Centre Seruka
needs and demands
• Allow victims to break the silence, anonymously
sharing and reporting their experiences
• Assess community needs to define strategies for
future action
• Open high level data and information to media
and stakeholders, respecting the privacy of the
survivors

9. Carried out activities

10. Harassmap
http://harassmap.org/en/

11. Why to use mobile
technology?

12. Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) – The World Bank
The number of mobile phone users
in Burundi
is still raising,
expecially in Bujumbura area

13. Mobile subscribers and penetration rate - ARTC

14. 270.000 in 2007
2,24 millions in 2012
2,53 millions in 2013
“Some companies which were just covering
the capital Bujumbura
are now present in a large part of the country”
(« Number of mobile phone users in Burundi rose 13 percent in 2013 »
ARTC – The Africa Report )

15. Origin of the cases received
by the Centre Seruka

16. Tools needed

17. Basic mobile phone for text messaging

18. Computer

19. USB modem

20. Software to distribute and collect information
via text messages (FrontlineSMS)

21. Software for information collection, visualisation
and interactive mapping

22. Internet Connection

23. The workflow

24. centreseruka.crowdmap.com

27. Challenges
• Literacy rate: rural areas tend to have lower rates than
the urban one -> This first phase of the project is
particularly focused on Bujumbura area
• Project Sustainability -> Staff trainings and mobilization
• Reliability of the information received -> Verification of
information through volunteers (respecting the privacy of
the person)
• Taboo subject -> Sensitization and awareness raising
strategy

28. Challenges
• Privacy rights -> a point person responsible for entries
• ICT knowledge and skills are required -> capacity building
strategy (all level, staff, stakeholder and community)
• Likely technology is still male dominated (we don’t have
data about the number of women owning a mobile
phone in Burundi) -> it’s too early to talk about results

29. Investing on existing skills
• Valorise the experience of CCM NGO and of the Centre
Seruka in the fight against GBV to engage community
mobilization and spread the service - > sensibilisation
campaign (promotional materials, radio emissions,
awareness session…)
• Train and involve all the Centre Seruka staff and
volunteers on the use and promotion of the service

33. Investing on existing skills
• Present the service to journalists who are already
working on ​​GBV topic (press conference) and start an
exchange on how to better cover gender-based violence
topic on media

35. The presentation has been prepared in collaboration with CCM NGO in the
framework of the project “Projet pilote de décentralisation des services de prise
en charge des violences sexuelles dans 3 provinces du Burundi” DCI-
Santé/2011/275-783 financially supported by the European Union.
Please note that any views or opinions presented in this activity are solely those
of the promoters and do not necessarily represent those of the European Union.
Thank you.
Viviana BRUN
brunvivi@gmail.com