GENDER LINKS

Formed in March 2001, Gender Links (GL) is a Southern African NGO, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa that promotes gender equality and justice across the fifteen countries of the region. GL is recognised globally for bringing together a coalition of gender NGOs that campaigned for the elevation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Declaration on Gender and Development into a Protocol with 28 targets to be achieved by 2015. The Protocol is now aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Mauritian Branch of GL was registered in 2008, GL Mauritius promotes an inclusive, equal and just society in the public and private space in accordance with the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. The office is well known for successfully campaigning for a quota for women in local government in 2012; establishing Centres of Excellence for Gender in the Media and Local Government; conducting the first ever Gender Based Violence Baseline (GBV) Indicators Study in 2012; conducting yearly 16 days campaign against GBV with localities, NGOs and the media; partnered with the Prime Minister’s Office for training of the youth on gender; local action to end GBV with funding from Australia; implemented and pioneered entrepreneurship training for survivors of GBV supported by FLOW; strengthening entrepreneurship of women in situation of poverty with funding from the Decentralised Corporation Programme of the European Union; writing the yearly Mauritian Barometer; participated in several research on the media and writing of personal testimonies of GBV survivors and men and women affected and infected by HIV.