The coordinator of the Gender Equality Policies area, Ana Perez Camporeale, and the deputy coordinator, Alfonso Martínez-Saenz, carried out a mission to Mexico where they met with different counterparts to discuss the progress and roadmaps of activities supported by EUROsociAL+ in the lines of action of violence, sexual and reproductive health and masculinities, lines that are outlined as escorting some public policy reforms and specific actions to improve social cohesion.
Photo: Secretariat for Women of the State of Mexico
Among the encounters held, prominent is the one with the National Institute of Transparency and Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI), in which Commissioner Josefina Román Vergara and Commissioner Francisco Javier Acuña participated, who, in addition to thanking the support provided by EUROsociAL+ in the action for the fight against Digital Gender Violence against Girls, Adolescents and Women, endorsed their interest in coordinating efforts with other, both federal and state, bodies in order to eradicate this phenomenon.
In this sense, the signing of a collaboration agreement is expected between the Secretariat for Women, the State General Prosecutor’s Office, and the State Institute for Access to Public Information (INAIP) of the State of Yucatan. Likewise, they affirmed their commitment to the installation of the Mexican Network against Digital Gender-based Violence, within the Ibero-American Data Protection Network (IRPD).
Following up on the actions that emerged from the Generation Equality Forum, the encounter with Nadine Gasman, chairwoman of INMUJERES, offered an opportunity to reiterate the support of EUROsociAL+ for the care system, and to complement efforts and continue promoting bi-regional alliances to strengthen the global and regional agenda on gender equality.
Given the Mexico’s configuration as a Federation, encounters were held with State Secretariats of Women, such as the one with María Isabel Sánchez Holguín – Secretariat of Women of the State of Mexico – where the roadmap was discussed with a view to the priority actions of the institution and in coordination with other activities supported by EUROsociAL+, among which is the prevention of teenage pregnancy, the deconstruction of masculinities, and positive masculinities.
Within the same scope, a meeting was held with representatives of the Women’s Secretariat of Mexico City, who expressed their great interest in actions that EUROsociAL+ carries out with CONAVIM towards the improvement of the Gender-based Violence Alert mechanism.
Within the institutional structure, EUROsociAL+ has assisted the National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women (CONAVIM) in the analysis of progress made in improving the Gender-based Violence Alert mechanism (AVG) and collaboration to evaluate programmes for aggressors with the purpose of strengthening public policy actions for the eradication of violence against women and girls. Erika Troncoso Saavedra, coordinator of Inter-agency Strategic Liaison, highlighted the progress in financing gender-based violence issues, which until now had been dealt with at the federal level, and explained the progress made at the legislative level with the implementation of alerts through the Law on Access by Women to a Life Free of Violence.
As a follow-up to this action, the EUROsociAL+ experts, Bénédicte Lucas and Françoise Roth, will carry out a technical assistance visit aimed at improvements in access/targeting of positive care services for vulnerable groups. They will also visit the State of Yucatan, where efforts are being made to follow up on the conclusions of the non-decreed Gender Alert request.
Likewise, with the National Population Council (CONAPO) an encounter was held with Instructor Gabriela Rodríguez – Secretary General of the National Population Council, who highlighted the progress of the Strategy for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy (ENAPEA) in the context of territorialisation where the agenda and priorities are being implemented in the states of Guerrero, Coahuila, Chiapas, and Nuevo León. As part of the bi-regional cooperation capabilities, EUROsociAL+ will carry out a study visit to share experiences with Bulgarian counterparts on the topic of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, as part of the second phase of the National Strategy.
During the encounter with the National Protection System for Girls and Boys (SIPINNA) where EUROsociAL+ is assisting in the elaboration of the Strategy Improvements in the effectiveness of existing services towards the coverage, qualification and quality of care of the Strategy Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls, Children and Adolescents (ESCNNA), its head, Constanza Tort, made clear her gratitude and satisfaction with the support provided by the experts working on this strategy.
The mission was a great success, as it strengthened the close ties that EUROsociAL+ has built with Mexico, and concluded with specific strategies to continue offering a space for learning among peers and for exchanging experiences between homologous institutions from both regions, as well as maintaining an active agenda for the advancement of gender equality policies in matters of Economic, Political and Physical Autonomy.
Article prepared by: Mariana De Hoyos- junior expert in the public policy area of EUROsociAL+ and Isabel González- Consultant in the public policy area of EUROsociAL+
