The Crown Princess visits women victimized by violence in Morocco
As the chairman of The Mary Foundation’s board of directors, Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess, travels with The Mary Foundation’s director, Helle Østergaard, to Morocco from 2.–4. September to visit a number of initiatives in which the objective is to combat violence against women and improve women’s rights generally in the Middle East and North Africa (the MENA region).
In Morocco, The Crown Princess will visit organizations that have benefitted from Danish experiences in the area of crisis support for women – and, not least, The Crown Princess will meet some of the women and children who, through international cooperation, are supported in leading a life without violence.
The initiatives are carried out as a part of “The Danish Arab Partnership Programme” under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where KVINFO (the Danish Centre for Information on Gender, Equality and Diversity), as the overall programme organization, together with the NGO Danner and LOKK (National Organization of Women’s Shelters in Denmark) cooperate with women’s organizations in the MENA region in the area of violence against women. The Crown Princess’s interest in work in the MENA region came about during the 2nd World Conference of Women’s Shelters in Washington in February 2012 after a meeting with the leading figures behind the collaborative project.
As chairman of The Mary Foundation, The Crown Princess has engaged in work to combat violence against women and children through The Mary Foundation’s various projects. Beyond this, The Crown Princess is a member of the international panel known as the High- Level Task Force for IPCD and the patron of both the UN Population Fund and Maternity Worldwide.
Press informationCommunications and Press Secretary Lene Balleby, tel: 33 40 25 29
Read more about KVINFO (Danish Centre for Information on Gender, Equality and Diversity)
Read more about LOKK (Landsorganisation af Kvindekrisecentre/The National Organization of Women’s Crisis Centres)
Read more about The Mary Foundation
Facts
- A recent study has shown that at least 6 million women in Morocco have been subjected to violence – 55 % of those battered were married.
- In 2004, the Moroccan king adopted a new family law, Moudawanaen, which should improve women’s rights. In that connection, women got the right to be divorced, they became equal in relation to child custody, and it became illegal to marry women under the age of 16. KVINFO (the Danish Centre for Information on Gender, Equality and Diversity) has, through its work in the region, contributed to the implementation of the new family law.
- In 2011, the Moroccan government launched a national action plan for combatting violence against women.
- KVINFO is Denmark’s national centre of knowledge and research library for the issues of gender, equality and diversity. KVINFO is an independent organization under the Ministry of Culture and receives project funding from several different ministries and numerous private foundations.
- KVINFO receives funds from the “Danish Arab Partnership Programme” under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, approximately 23 million DKK annually for projects that support partnerships that work for women’s rights and equality in society.
- KVINFO cooperates with Danner and LOKK in relation to capacity-building of crisis centres for fighting violence against women in the MENA region, including in Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.
- KVINFO has its own office in Morocco as part of KVINFO’s extensive programme for women’s rights and equality in the MENA region.
- Danner is the primary implementing party from Denmark when it comes to violence against women.
- The Mary Foundation’s mission is to combat social isolation in three selected areas of effort: Bullying and Well-Being, Domestic Violence and Loneliness.
- The Mary Foundation identifies, develops and runs projects and enters into strategic social partnerships with relevant parties.
Registration for accreditation for the trip must take place by Monday, 26 August at 12.00. You must send an e-mail with your name, media affiliation, title, CPR number and contact information to kom@kongehuset.dk.
The press programme can be downloaded from the Media Centre.
Members of the press are responsible for booking their own travel arrangements, while hotel reservations can be booked via the Danish Embassy in Morocco, vice consul Aida Steffensen, tel: +212 (0) 6 67 19 98 17 or e-mail: rbaamb@um.dk
