Overcoming intimate partner violence through dialogue
NAMPULA, Mozambique – Cacilda Afonso, 31, is one of three Mozambican women who might experience abuse at the hands of a partner. Tired of 12 years of insults, neglect and threats of abandonment by her husband, she decided to act and asked for a divorce at the local Institute for Legal Assistance and Representation in Nampula City.
“We say that women can’t have a voice, lead or talk. This needs to end, because women have the same rights [as men]” - Cacilda Afonso, survivor of psychological abuse
“He didn’t respect me… and we couldn’t solve our problems,” says Cacilda. She was referred to the nearest Integrated Assistance Centre (called “CAIs” by its Portuguese acronym) and offered couples' counselling at the centre.
Cacilda and her husband, Mário Luís, 34, sought counselling at the centre in Nampula City. This is one of 24 government-run centres which integrate health, social action, police and justice services under one roof, delivering vital care, especially to women and girls experiencing violence across the country.
COUNSELLING AS AN ANTIDOTE FOR VIOLENCE
To Cacilda’s surprise, everything changed for the better after counselling. “We received lots of advice and we both realized that what we did was not normal,” she says.
At the centre, the couple learned to resolve their differences through dialogue. “If something is bothering you, you can’t respond with violence: you must talk the issues through,” says Mário.
They both learned about the structural imbalances of power between women and men which contribute to perpetuating violence: “Women are afraid to speak up because they may lose their home, [while] men claim they lead the household,” says Mário.
“We say that women can’t have a voice, lead or talk. This needs to end, because women have the same rights [as men],” says Cacilda.
INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
Intimate partner violence is one of the most common forms of violence against women and includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and controlling behaviours by an intimate partner. World Health Organization data shows that the overwhelming global burden of intimate partner violence is borne by women.
Evidence from the latest Demographic and Health Survey (DHS 2011) shows a great degree of tolerance towards violence: one in four women surveyed considered a husband to be justified in hitting or beating his wife for at least one of five specified reasons: if his wife burns the food, argues with him, goes out without telling him, neglects the children or refuses sexual relations.
In Cacilda’s case, frequent arguments triggered psychological abuse by her husband, which she accepted during most of their marriage.
Having overcome intimate partner violence through dialogue, Cacilda now offers advice to others going through the same experience. “I recommend others to seek support [at the centre] to solve their problems,” she says.
In fact, Integrated Assistance Centres are increasingly recognized by communities as safe spaces which they can trust to help solve cases of violence. They work as 'one-stop´ centres that allow survivors of violence to report their attacker, seek medical attention and access counselling at a single location, without having to retell their story multiple times or relive their trauma.
Since its launch in 2019, the Spotlight Initiative, a programme led by the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Action (MGCAS), funded by the European Union and in partnership with United Nations and civil society organizations (CSOs), has helped to rehabilitate and equip four Integrated Assistance Centres. Government institutions from the social welfare, health, justice and police sectors are the backbone of the Spotlight Initiative in Mozambique, along with over 20 CSOs. Together, they have reached more than 1.9 million people, of which over 1.1 million are women and girls across 10 districts of Gaza, Manica and Nampula provinces.
By Leonor Costa Neves with reporting by Laura Lambo
