Institut National de la Femme

What Institut National de la Femme does

The Institut National de la Femme (INF) is a national government institution of the Republic of Benin, operating under the Presidency and constituted under statutes formalized in 2023. Its mandate is to protect, guide, and support women and girls victims of violence in all its forms — sexual violence, forced marriage, harassment, digital violence, domestic violence, and harmful traditional practices — and to promote female leadership and combat discrimination. Services are delivered free of charge to the population and include a national toll-free hotline (114), WhatsApp support, in-person intake at the INF headquarters in Cotonou, legal clinics (procès fictifs) that bring together health, social, education, security, and justice actors, and judicial accompaniment through to court proceedings.

The institute's operational footprint spans all 12 departments of Benin through departmental antennas and focal points embedded in government administrations, supported by an online documents repository, a multimedia library, and active presence across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and X. Its core products and services are awareness and sensitization programs (notably the annual '16 Days of Activism' and 'JIFille' campaigns), school and community outreach tours, and strategic documents targeting professionals who intervene with victims.

The business model is non-commercial: INF is state-funded through the Presidency of Benin with no revenue from service fees, and supplements public appropriation with co-funded initiatives and technical partnerships with international actors including the Netherlands Embassy, EngenderHealth, UNHCR, ANSALB, MASM, and the Economic and Social Council. Governance is led by President Me Huguette Bokpè Gnacadja and Executive Secretary Mme Flore Djinou, with statutory authority to bring judicial action and constitute itself as a civil party in gender-based violence cases.

Name

Institut National de la Femme

Legal name

Institut National de la Femme

Website

https://inf.bj

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institut National de la Femme is a Beninese government institution under the Presidency, providing free protection, legal guidance, and psychosocial support to women and girls victims of violence across all 12 departments of Benin via hotline 114, WhatsApp, and departmental antennas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Protection and Gender-Based Violence Support Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), International Affairs (92812)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAD

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAEAD

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPADAGAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYBPAGABAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Gender-based violence support
• Women protection services
• Victim support hotline
• Legal aid services
• Women's rights advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Cotonou

HQ country

Benin

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Institut National de la Femme (INF) is a Beninese government institution that provides free protection, guidance, and support services to women and girls who are victims of violence. Its core offerings include a free national hotline (114), WhatsApp-based remote assistance, legal and psychosocial aid, legal clinics with mock trials, complaint processing, judicial accompaniment, awareness campaigns (16 Days of Activism, JIFille), and school and community sensitization programs on gender-based violence.

Product overview

The Institut National de la Femme (INF) is a government institution dedicated to women's protection and empowerment in Benin. Rather than a unified software product, INF provides an integrated suite of services including victim support via hotline and WhatsApp, legal clinics offering advisory services and mock trials for gender-based violence response, awareness campaigns (16 Days of Activism, JIFille), school and community sensitization programs, a digital documents repository, and multimedia educational resources. The organization operates as a coordination body with national reach through departmental antennas and focal points in various administrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Victim Support and Assistance Services Free protection, guidance, and support services for women victims of violence in Benin, accessible via the free hotline 114, WhatsApp, and in-person at the INF headquarters in Cotonou. Includes complaint processing and judicial accompaniment.
• Legal Clinics Legal advisory services and mock trials (procès fictif) that bring together actors in the gender-based violence response chain to exchange information, share experiences, and develop solutions for victim support.
• 16 Days of Activism Campaign Annual awareness campaign against gender-based violence, with specific focus on digital violence against women and girls, including sensitization materials and interactive sessions.
• JIFille Campaign (Et si c'était ta fille ?) Awareness campaign addressing violence against women and girls, with visual materials designed to provoke reflection on violence toward women and ask 'What if it was your daughter?'
• Awareness and Sensitization Programs Educational programs targeting schools (agricultural high schools), religious and traditional leaders, and communities on topics including sexual harassment, early marriage, and girls' education.
• Strategic Documents Repository Online library of legal texts, statutes, and operational procedures related to women's rights and gender-based violence, including laws from 2002-2021 and standardized operational procedures for professionals across health, social, education, security, and justice sectors.
• Youth Education Initiatives Programs targeting youth including school outreach and talks at institutions such as Epitech Benin, addressing digital violence, online safety, and balance between studies and social media.
• Multimedia Resources Photo gallery on Flickr, video content on YouTube channel, and downloadable sensitization visuals for campaigns supporting women's protection and empowerment messaging.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HCR (Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les Réfugiés)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2025The UNHCR organized an event for DAFI scholarship beneficiaries, refugees, and staff of the SP-CNRA, hosting the INF for a presentation on digital violence against women and girls during the 16 Days of Activism 2025 campaign.
• Conseil Économique et Social (CES) du BénincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2025The INF presented at an extraordinary session of the Economic and Social Council to establish institutional synergy, leveraging the CES's advisory mandate to amplify INF's recommendations on women's rights into national policy.
• Académie Nationale des Sciences, Arts et Lettres du Bénin (ANSALB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025The INF co-organized a literary symposium 'Voix et regards de femmes béninoises' with ANSALB, bringing together women writers and authors to celebrate literature as a vehicle for women's emancipation and recognition.
• Ministère des Enseignements Secondaires, Technique et de la Formation ProfessionnellecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2025The INF collaborates with the Ministry of Secondary Education, Technical and Vocational Training for outreach in schools, particularly agricultural lyceums. The ministry facilitates access to schools for VBG sensitization tours organized by the INF's President.
• APRETECTRA (Association des Personnes Rénovatrices des Techniques Traditionnelles)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2025APRETECTRA, an NGO, collaborates with the INF during field missions to agricultural lyceums, facilitating contacts and organizing meetings with 'Voix des Filles' cells in the visited schools.
• Ministère des Affaires Sociales et de la Microfinance (MASM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2024The INF and MASM co-organized the National Forum on Investment for Women and Gender, bringing together government ministries, parliamentarians, technical and financial partners, and civil society to discuss women's empowerment and gender equality investment.
• EngenderHealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2024EngenderHealth partnered with the INF and the Netherlands Embassy on a study examining widowhood conditions and practices in Benin, contributing technical expertise to document and address harmful practices affecting widows.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: UN entity dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment globally. Comparable because it pursues the same mission — eliminating violence against women and advancing women's rights — though at a global rather than national-government level.
• CARE International: Global humanitarian organization with a strong women's empowerment and GBV response portfolio. Comparable to the INF in serving women survivors of violence and partnering with governments on national gender programs.
• Plan International: International NGO working on children's rights, girls' equality, and protection from violence. Comparable as a development actor addressing GBV, early marriage, and girls' education in West Africa, including Benin.
• Human Rights Watch: International NGO documenting and advocating against human rights abuses including gender-based violence. Comparable mission on women's rights protection, though it relies on monitoring and reporting rather than direct service delivery.
• Amnesty International: Global human rights organization that campaigns against violence and discrimination against women. Comparable in advocacy scope, though it operates through international campaigning rather than direct victim services.
• Ministère de la Femme, de l'Enfant et de la Famille (various African states): Line ministries in other African countries responsible for gender policy and women's protection. Comparable as peer national-government structures with overlapping mandates to coordinate GBV response and women's empowerment programs.

Direct peers

• EngenderHealth: International organization working on gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, and women's rights. Directly comparable because EngenderHealth is already a strategic partner of the INF, co-funded by the Netherlands Embassy for the widowhood study in Benin.
• Association des Femmes Juristes du Bénin (AFJB): Beninese NGO of women jurists providing legal assistance to women victims of violence. Comparable as a domestic, Beninese organization offering parallel legal-aid and advocacy services for the same target population as the INF.

Emerging players

• UNHCR: UN Refugee Agency engaged in protection work including prevention of sexual and gender-based violence against refugee women. Comparable through its active partnership with the INF on digital violence awareness for refugee populations.
• African Women's Development Fund (AWDF): Pan-African grant-making foundation funding organizations working on women's rights in Africa. Comparable because it channels resources to women's rights organizations across the continent, including in francophone West Africa where the INF operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/INFBenin
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@INFBenin
• Facebookfacebook.com/INFInstitutNationaldelaFemme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/infbenin
• Instagraminstagram.com/institut_national_de_la_femme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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