UK investing in grassroots women's rights organisations to tackle gender-based violence

UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell on Tuesday announced the new support at an event in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, as per the UK government's official website.

The country announced the new support package to mark the 16 Days of Activism.

This includes up to Euro 18 million in new support for grassroots women's rights organisations across 70 countries to tackle gender-based violence in communities, focusing on the most marginalised as part of the UK's biggest-ever funding boost to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.

Funding will improve access to services including legal aid, shelters, and health care for survivors, support more effective legislation, and help to shift harmful attitudes and behaviours to prevent violence before it starts, the UK government said.

The first round of successful grantees under the What Works to Prevent Violence: Impact at Scale programme will include eight women's rights organisations in Malawi, India, Pakistan, Somalia, Eswatini, Uganda and Madagascar to implement innovative, locally-led approaches to drive down rates of violence in homes, schools, universities and workplaces.

The support package also includes a new Euro 15 million UK-funded programme in Somalia to reach more than 117,000 people with help to advance the rights of women and girls in humanitarian crises through mental health support, training for health workers to recognise signs of violence and the establishment of centres to bring together medical, legal and psychosocial services, the UK government said. (ANI)