The season of our Fantastic Visits also opened this week. For the occasion, we followed the visit of the Lower Town of Fribourg with joyful residents of the EMS Les Marronniers (Tertianum) who came from Martigny on Friday to discover the history and the old walls and cobbled streets of the old Fribourg, right on the banks of the Sarine.

The colourful visit was a pleasant escape from everyday life for them, thanks to the narration punctuated with animations and surprises by our heritage guide Corinne Nicaise-Maccachi. We won’t tell you too much, however, so that you can discover for yourself everything that one of these guided tours – which we also offer in Geneva and Neuchâtel – has to offer.

Here, some pictures of what was a great afternoon full of laughter, smiles and sharing for all. (ew)

While the theme of this International Women’s Rights Day 2023 was digital inequality, other themes related to inequality and discrimination of women and girls were not forgotten. Like the doubly sad reality recalled by Handicap International (Switzerland)*: while 35% of women and girls worldwide are exposed to physical, emotional or sexual violence by their partner or another person, this violence affects women and girls with disabilities, and in particular those living with a mental disability, almost ten times more.

Key public health issue

As Handicap International points out, this is not only a major violation of the rights of the victims, but also a key public health issue. Such violence, often perpetrated by people in charge of these women and girls, leads to numerous health problems, as well as psychological trauma and social and economic exclusion for the victims, in many countries. Moreover, it is children with disabilities who are particularly exposed to this violence and its consequences.

Faced with this invisible violence against women and girls with disabilities, which is still largely ignored by the public, Handicap International is developing projects to enable victims to rebuild their lives, escape isolation and play a role in their community. “Ending this violence is a priority”, explains Bénédicte de la Taille, Handicap International’s expert in protection against violence.

Handicap International’s mission

As the association’s website states: “Handicap International is active in nearly 60 of the world’s poorest countries, and also in Switzerland. The association helps people with disabilities and vulnerable people so that they can ‘live upright’ again.” An indispensable work. (ew)