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Description
Domestic violence and gender-based violence are violations against human rights. This determines the great public importance of the problem and the need to create a flexible multi-institutional strategy for its prevention and resolution as well as preventive actions – information campaigns consultations training. In order to raise awareness about the growing violence and aggression in society thorough prevention is highly needed.
Data from a national survey conducted by Unicef in Bulgaria show higher levels of violence among Roma women than among women in general population. It is an indisputable fact that women in Roma communities remain the most vulnerable due to the difficulties of leaving the community and the lack of social inclusion. Another large part of the population that finds it difficult to identify and recognize violence is children. Difficulties in identifying violence against children can come from the age-related inability of children to formulate and report the act themselves, as well as from the control and prohibition of parents or guardians to do so.
The project will be implemented by Euroclub Woman - an NGO that works to promote women''s entrepreneurship, but also to support vulnerable groups in society, Tundzha Municipality, which has a special focus on social projects in support of Roma
communities, pursuing jointly developed local strategy for integration and Yambol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which will provide access to the target group of the project through an innovative approach, namely the business in the region.
The project focuses on vulnerable groups of children and women from Roma communities, as well as teachers, professionals and employers who communicate and work with them on a daily basis to increase access and quality of specialized services by
encouraging the active participation of the Roma community and cooperation with local institutions, through strong information and educational campaigns and meetings.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was to provide approaches in working with vulnerable groups, children and women from Roma communities, by involving them in these processes and increasing the capacity of professionals to use appropriate approaches for the prevention of violence, on the territory of the municipality of Tundzha and Yambol region.
A manual to help experts working with women from Roma communities was developed.
A number of information campaigns have been carried out.
A school camp was held, through which the participants raised their awareness on domestic and gender-based violence.
Teachers and mediators were trained to identify and prevent domestic violence in schools.
SOS Counselling Offices has established in schools across four villages, reaching over 300 Roma children and providing psychological support to prevent school and domestic violence.
Through the implementation of information campaigns aimed at teachers, specialists, mediators, the project leads to an improvement in the situation of the Roma community, especially women and children, limiting the deepening of gender inequalities, that have a negative repercussion in the development of the whole society, especially in the family, school, at work.
Targeted awareness campaigns directly involved Roma women and children through information meetings and outreach in villages.
Training helped teachers, educators, psychologists and Roma mediators to increase the knowledge and capacity of the staff in schools, where mainly Roma students are educated, on the topic of domestic and gender-based violence.
Community engagement strategies were culturally sensitive and locally driven. Successful approaches included targeted awareness campaigns, which directly involved Roma women and children through information meetings and outreach in villages; mobile consultation sessions, which expanded service access to remote areas.