The Regional Secretary for Social Solidarity considered that the Azores will be an "asset" to the national report for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) of the United Nations.
According to her, the Region has "experiences to share and results to show."
 
The report will be submitted in June and contains information on the measures implemented by the Government of the Azores and the Autonomous Region in the area of "equality of opportunities, prevention of domestic violence and specific programmes," stated Piedade Lalanda. The government official met with the Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Equality in Lisbon on Monday evening.

In the case of domestic violence prevention, the Regional Secretary highlighted the initiatives "Impacto" and the rehabilitation programme for aggressors - "CONTIGO"; the latter has already been implemented in some regions of Mainland Portugal.

"It presents a different way of regarding domestic violence and preventing it from passing on to the next generations," stated the government official.

According to Piedade Lalanda, the fact that the Azores register a significant number of domestic violence reports "is not a sign that the problem is worse in the Azores. It only demonstrates that this issue has increased visibility in the Region, which is extremely important as it also reveals that victims have confidence in the Public Safety Police. In addition, they also benefit from an integrated support network that is virtually non-existent in Mainland Portugal."

Piedade Lalanda considered that the meeting with the Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Equality was "interesting" as it was an opportunity "to share experiences and strategies."