[{"bbox": [97, 153, 1135, 207], "category": "Text", "text": "youth to religious radicalism. Notwithstanding the urgent need to act, Guinea-Bissau remains widely unprepared to fight and overcome these challenges."}, {"bbox": [97, 219, 1135, 298], "category": "Text", "text": "With regards to Human Rights, the continued power struggle between the executive and legislature in Guinea-Bissau has prevented the successive governments to strengthen institutions, address social and economic challenges, and implement measures to safeguard and strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights."}, {"bbox": [97, 310, 1135, 523], "category": "Text", "text": "Although the country has demonstrated commitment to promoting gender equality and women empowerment with a number of recent legislation and made considerable progress in some areas, namely the adoption of a gender parity law in May 2019 (which was never fully enforced), many challenges prevail. In fact, although the legal framework has improved, these laws are pending application due to the lack of resources for dissemination and a poorly operational justice system. Judicial institutions continue to be weak and incapable of ensuring accountability for human rights violations. Furthermore, due to the weak presence of the State in all territory, customary laws of the different ethnic groups, still regulate the daily lives of men and women. And these remain discriminatory of women and children and further prevent the realization of women's rights and child rights."}, {"bbox": [97, 535, 1135, 933], "category": "Text", "text": "Organized crime, corruption, and more recently episodes of violent extremism and radicalization that can lead to terrorism have been further impacting the human rights situation in Guinea-Bissau. The situation is particularly bleak in what concerns sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and human trafficking. In what concerns SGBV, the meshing between customary law and modern state laws, and the lack of access to justice, constitute serious barriers for the realization of women's rights. The COVID-19 pandemic has further aggravated gender inequalities in all sectors. Between advances and setbacks, poverty, food insecurity, the lack of basic social services, discrimination and violence against women are gaining ground, within a framework of almost no administrative services and of weak institutional capacities to respond to the demands of the people and in particular of women in the economic and social sectors. Likewise, Guinea-Bissau continues to suffer from high rates of child marriage (there are indications that the pandemic also worsened the situation). The same applies to female genital mutilation, despite a prohibitive 2011 law having been passed, which prevalence rate remains high according to civil society organizations (CSOs) and national authorities. With regards to human trafficking, Guinea-Bissau is a major centre of recruitment for child trafficking in the West African Region (WAR). This includes: 1) young religious students known as talibés that are forced to begging both in Guinea-Bissau and WAR; and 2) young children, mostly girls, exploited into forced labour and sexual activities – including sex tourism programs operated in the Bijagós islands."}, {"bbox": [97, 945, 1135, 1502], "category": "Text", "text": "Guinea-Bissau still faces deficiencies in terms of human-rights related knowledge, mechanisms and tools to uphold principles and ensure the rights of the population as a whole and vulnerable ones in special. With regards to national human rights bodies, the National Commission for Human Rights closely depends on the Government as it is under the tutelage of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, which does not respect the assumptions of the Paris principle on the integrity and neutrality of these entities. There are other official or semi-official entities that work directly on human rights such as the Committee for the Abandonment of Harmful Practices (CNAPN), Institute of Women and Children (IMC), and CAJ. In view of the institutional fragility in these state bodies, civil society in Guinea-Bissau has been playing for decades a key role in promoting and supporting the population with regards to the enjoyment of their human rights through the provision of basic services: education, health, social protection, justice, etc. Some of these such as the Guinean League of Human Rights have been publishing periodic reports on the human rights situation in the country, but without a focus on SGBV and human trafficking. However, other CSOs such as Manitese, FEC, AMIC, IMVF, Guinean League of Human Rights, Voz di Paz, etc. as well as UNICEF, UNFPA and IOM, have significantly contributed to the prevention and criminalization of these crimes through awareness raising and dissemination of information on SGBV and human trafficking. Apart from international CSOs and a limited number of national ones, most CSOs still do not possess adequate capacity and know-how in the area of advocacy, mediation, and counselling. They lack not only knowledge of the topics, but also communication techniques to achieve long-lasting results. Moreover, the lack of funding is a continuous concern of these organizations, which have to fight for their own survival, which at times prevents them from fully cooperating and partnering with others. Also, some of these organizations limit themselves by doing what is politically correct, following Government guidelines and evading the reality of the facts, often implementing their activities in an environment of distrust and competition."}, {"bbox": [97, 1514, 1135, 1568], "category": "Text", "text": "Identification of main stakeholders and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:"}, {"bbox": [135, 1579, 1135, 1634], "category": "List-item", "text": "- Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (MJHR): is mandated to design policies in the justice sector, through the creation of formal and non-formal conflict resolution mechanisms, to remove barriers for"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1682, 1145, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 8 of 33"}]