Strengthen Six Shelters for Victims of Violence

In Ecuador, domestic violence affects around 60 % of women. Women’s shelters are the only institutions that offer protection to victims. Since 2009, they have been part of a government programme, yet the budget allocated has been massively reduced. Thanks to the continuing lobbying of the women’s shelters, public and political attention was drawn to the high prevalence of violence. In the shelters, each year, approximately 1 524 mothers and 523 children found a safe space and sensitive assistance by staff that had been trained during the project. To empower the women economically, and also reduce dependency on external funding, each shelter set up a small-business, for instance a catering kitchen, a copy shop or cleaning company. Despite the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, all centres found ways to protect and support victims of violence.