The Citizens Academy of Human Rights and Good Governance has the mandate to support civil society in its actions to mitigate the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population, while at the same time favor the protection, promotion and the defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Equatorial Guinea.
Main Goal:
- Promote the protection of human rights in the country, in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic;
Specific Goals:
Strengthen civil society in the fields of human rights, good governance and transparency, given the impact of COVID-19;
Provide protection and legal assistance to human rights defenders and vulnerable groups (women, girls or LGTBI groups);
Empower vulnerable groups (women, girls or LGTBI groups) about their rights;
The financing from the European Commission is 350,000 Euros and its total duration is from July 2022 to June 2025 (36 months).
ACTUA’s action is coordinated by Transparency International Portugal, with Bocamandja Theater Company and the Association for the Support of African Women (ASAMA) as co-applicants.
Bocamandja Theater Company
Theater company formed by young Equatorial Guineans whom, during the fifteen years of its existence, have performed works by national and international authors. Their works have traveled throughout the national and international territory with the aim of promoting theater in Guinea Equatorial. They have disseminated works by national, African, Ibero-American and European authors to increase social awareness on gender issues, public health, human rights and environmental issues, as well as reflecting on the transition between tradition and modernity. During these fifteen years, Bocamandja has managed to imprint African personality in its works, adding avant-garde and tradition to their creations. In recent years, Bocamandja has worked with various national and international institutions. In addition, since 2015 they have decided to hold functions in schools and colleges as a strategy to involve young people, thus also involving the governing bodies of those schools, whose work will be decisive so that the awareness-raising functions can be carried out regularly. To this end, they created and also coordinate the National School Theater Festival. They have 20 members in Malabo, 2 on the island of Annobon and 4 in the city of Bata, on the mainland of the country.
Association for the Support of African Women (ASAMA)
ASAMA develops work related to women’s rights and has a wide implementation in the city of Bata. ASAMA will be able to influence in a relevant way in the continental region and in the awareness of the authorities by sending effective proposals in the area of women’s protection. They work with approximately 50 volunteers and their work in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in the Continental Region should be highlighted due to its relevance. On the other hand, it has also been the reference organization for humanitarian assistance after the explosions in a barracks in the city of Bata, on March 7. Their own facilities were also affected.
The planned activities can be essentially divided into 4 groups: training, facilitation, assistance and awareness:
- Social facilitators and training participants must be initially trained in the use of new technologies. A minimum of 15 monitors will be trained in total and will have the means of communication for the development of the activities, since they will have a specific assignment or area depending on their organization to which they belong and the area identified. The first tasks and areas to be prioritized will be:
1. Assessment of the impact and vulnerabilities generated by COVID-19, e.g. in other diseases;
2. Act as an early warning system for cases of discrimination for different reasons and that can channel the cases to the legal clinic. Care for gender violence will be included. - Lawyers and/or jurists will be trained in the protection of fundamental rights such as arbitrary arrests, included in the COVID-19 restrictions. The capacity to care for vulnerable groups such as the LGTBI community or women victims of gender violence will be maintained and expanded. 30 lawyers or jurists and civil servants will be trained. Of the jurists, 10 are expected to attend the legal clinic for cases of human rights violations in other cities of the country.
- The third type of training will be carried out after a self-assessment exercise of the organizations’ capacities, in order to facilitate institutional strengthening that will focus first on the co-applicants.
The Citizens Academy will also serve for CSOs to exchange information, collaborate and better prepare their strategies. The provision of spaces that allow social organizations regular access to media such as teleconferences, meeting rooms for seminars with media such as projectors, will allow the limitations caused by the pandemic to be overcomed, but will also increase efficiency thanks to networking and coordinated work. Facilitation is a vitally important element for local CSOs, particularly those that do not have their own work spaces, or for those that, while having them, are not suitable for longer work meetings and in coordination with organizations from other geographic regions. Hence the importance of the Citizens Academy both in Bata and in Malabo.
The legal clinic will expand its attention, in cases that arise, to the rest of the country, with the assistance of lawyers in the continental region. In addition, emergency aid mechanisms will be established that have been developed and used by the legal clinic for immediate assistance in case of imminent danger or serious precariousness. The figure of the social facilitator will also be useful in this activity by performing an explanatory and accompanying function of the possible options and support from organizations and other protection mechanisms. For example, they will guide to obtain means of health, psychological or educational care that will complement the legal action.
Thanks to the local implementation of the co-applicants, it is planned to carry out activities to raise awareness and promote human rights with minors and women within the framework of the activities of these organizations, which will benefit preferentially from the training of the Citizens Academy.
A second type of sensitization where the co-applicants will also be involved will be those aimed at institutions or authorities.
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We do not receive any subsidies from the Portuguese State to fulfill our mission.
The work we do depends exclusively on financial contributions from associates (annual fee of 12 euros), donations from sympathizers of the cause, and grants for carrying out projects.
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