Dili, September 9, 2026 (Media Democracia) – The Secretary of State for Equality (SEI) organizes a meeting with partners to discuss and evaluate the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), including service mechanisms and access to justice for victims.
According to the Director-General of the Secretary of State for Equality (SEI), Armando da Costa, the meeting involved national-level partners, including representatives from ministries, civil society, and international partners who provide services and support on gender-based violence issues.
“In this meeting, we also presented the report that we submitted to the National Parliament on gender-based violence cases that we recorded in 2024 and 2025, and we also compared it with data from 2023. In these three consecutive years, the number of cases has consistently remained above one thousand each year,” said Armando da Costa to journalists at the Maria Gorete Hall, SEI, on Wednesday (09/09).
Armando reported that the most frequently recorded types of violence are domestic violence and sexual violence. These cases were reported by the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL), especially the Vulnerable Persons Unit (VPU), and also by civil society partners such as KOKUPES, Legal Assistance for Women and Children (ALFeLa), and the Judicial System Monitoring Programme (JSMP), which provide assistance to victims.
He explained that partners provide services to victims according to their needs, including police processes and referrals to the Public Prosecutor’s Office according to legal procedures.
“This total of more than one thousand cases, we received from all municipalities,” said Armando.
In addition, the SEI Director-General informed that cases of violence occurring through digital platforms and social media are also a concern. He said that the Ministry of Justice is currently holding discussions on legislation related to crimes committed via social media.
On the other hand, the Executive Director of the Judicial System Monitoring Programme (JSMP), Ana Paula Marçal, thanked SEI for inviting JSMP to participate in the meeting and to hear the report on the implementation of the National Action Plan in 2024 and 2025.
She said that the report spoke extensively about the implementation of the National Action Plan, including services and access to justice for victims seeking justice.
“The report compiled by partners shows that gender-based violence remains high. Because of this, victims seek justice through the VPU, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), Safe Houses, and the courts,” said Ana Paula Marçal.
Ana Paula also said that JSMP presented data from court monitoring in 2024 and 2025 to SEI, because access to justice is one of the important pillars in the implementation of the National Action Plan.
“According to JSMP monitoring, domestic violence is the highest type of case in the Suai, Dili, Baucau, and Oecusse Courts. Although there are differences between the courts, data from these four courts show that domestic violence remains high,” Ana Paula reported.
JSMP called on all parties to continue working together, especially in prevention, service provision, prosecution, and ensuring access to justice for victims.
During 2024 and 2025, JSMP observed some progress in the municipal courts, including the Suai Court, Oecusse Court, Baucau Court, and Dili Court, in their handling of gender-based violence cases.
JSMP also noted that crimes occurring through social media and digital platforms are a major concern. Therefore, there is a need for clear legal mechanisms to respond to crimes committed in digital spaces.
Reporting: Octaviana Da Costa
Photo: Octaviana Da Costa