El Salvador, March 8, 2024 – In the context of International Women's Day, the Technical Secretariat of Women of the Council of Women Ministers of Central America and the Dominican Republic (STM-COMMCA), with the support of the International Organization for Migration (OIM) and funding from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, awarded the winners of the "Stop Violence Against Women" Photography Contest.

The purpose of the contest was to represent through photographs a resounding message rejecting the various types of violence against women, giving them a face of hope and empowerment. In this sense, 111 photographs (76 women and 75 men) were received from the member countries of SICA.

Paola Zepeda, Regional Project Coordinator of OIM, emphasized that "these initiatives contribute to the active participation of women and their development. Therefore, OIM supports working hand in hand with women as agents of change who promote equality and economic empowerment, to create inclusive strategies that recognize and value the talent and diversity of migrant women."

"When a woman or a girl breaks the silence and expresses herself, her voice resonates and fills others around her with courage, and her voice grows louder to encourage breaking the chains of history," quoted Claudia Carolina Castro, also on behalf of Rosa María Gutiérrez, winners of the contest in the category for individuals over 18 years old. Both natives of El Salvador, they were the winners of the $1,000 prize for the photograph titled "Moments."

Meanwhile, the honorable mention went to Jessica Orellana, from El Salvador, with the photograph titled "Raquel and her Resilience to Climate Change," who received a $500 prize.

This initiative is part of the activities of the Regional Project: "Protection of Migrant Women in Central America and the Dominican Republic: Resilience and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence," funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.