Italian Association for Women for Development

L’ Italian Association for Women for Development ( Aidos ) is a non -governmental organization, born in Rome in 1981, which aims to spread and promote women’s human rights, their freedom and dignity in developing countries. In order to obtain this result, it has been used to maintain continuous contacts with other organizations (female and non -feminine) and set up, in the Rome office, a documentation center to maintain a constant update.

At Aidos, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recognized the suitability to operate in developing countries and is also an advisory body for the United Nations Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc). With the organization of the United Nations, it maintains constant relationships also collaborating on various initiatives. Furthermore, AIDOS constitutes, in Italy, the Focal Center of Istw (UN International Institute for Research and Training Women’s Progress) and UNFPA (Fund of the United Nations for the population).

Goals [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

The key points of the Aidos work are:

Actions [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

Aidos deals with carrying out missions aimed at training and technical assistance of local staff, on the basis of preventive studies that have identified the primary needs of women in order to be able to implement strategies for improving the female condition and, with it, of the whole population. This method of action aims to strengthen the abilities of local groups in order to encourage the sustainability of projects.

Aidos operates in various countries of the world by instituting family consultants, promoting education and information on the female condition and women’s rights, starting with human rights. He leads information and awareness campaigns, as well as training courses on the prevention of female genital mutilations, promotes the economic empowerment through the creation of service centers for small female entrepreneurship.

Aidos has exported and adapted to various cultural contexts the Italian model of family consultants, progressively integrating the services specifically aimed at assistance of sexual and reproductive health, the prevention of mortality and soft maternal, family planning and the prevention of sexual transmission diseases , including HIV and AIDS, with psychosocial counseling services, legal assistance and the prevention of violence against women, with particular attention to domestic and family violence. Women’s health centers on the model of the consultors were opened with the support of Aidos and in collaboration with local partners in the Gaza Strip (Jabalia and Burej), in Jordan, Syria, Nepal, Venezuela, Argentina and Burkina Faso. The activities of these centers are always characterized by a strong involvement of the community through awareness and information meetings aimed at promoting access to the center, as well as for specific services aimed at men and aimed at reducing gender stereotypes that often prevent women from obtain health care and to exercise their rights of choice in the field of sexuality and reproduction.

Aidos started working on the theme of the mutilations of the Fgm female genitals in 1986 in Somalia. Since then, practice prevention projects have been carried out in collaboration with local partners (in particular associations part of the African network IAC – Inter African Committee on traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women And Chidren, and with associations of journalist and medium operators in Numerous countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Gambia, Egypt. Between 2002 and 2004 Aidos gave birth to a collaboration with the organization there is no peace without justice from Emma Bonino for the abandonment of this practice ^[first] . coordinates the site ^[2] and projects for the improvement of the media coverage of issues relating to the mutilations of the female genitalia/excision with the aim of contributing to the construction of a socio-cultural environment in favor of the abandonment of this practice, focusing in particular on the improvement of radio production through the ‘Use of audio documentaries in collaboration with the AudioDoc Association. The “Mutilations of women’s genital and human rights in migrant communities (2008/2009) has conducted in Italy in collaboration with the Associations ADUSU – Human Rights Association – Human Development of Padua and Open Cultures of Trieste from which the training program arose Participatory “Strada doing. Towards the abandonment of the mutilations of the female genitals in Italy “.

Aidos leads information campaigns, awareness, and political Advocacy, for the promotion of development cooperation initiatives aimed at improving the condition of women and achieving the development objectives of the millennium. With particular reference to the latter, Aidos is part of the European Afgh network, Action for Global Health, which aims to contribute to achieving the development objectives of the millennium for health (MDG 4, MDG 5 and MDG 6)

Aidos is part of the European Eurongos network, which brings together European non -governmental organizations active in the sector of sexual and reproductive health and population.

In Italy it is being used for the spread of issues concerning female status in developing countries. It also deals with translating and disseminating the annual UNFPA report on the world population.