Raising the Awareness of Estonian Specialists about Domestic Violence

Project facts

Project promoter:
NGO VAITER(EE)
Project Number:
EE-LOCALDEV-0009
Status:
Completed
Final project cost:
€66,000
Other Project Partners
Association Marta Centre(LV)

Description

The project aims at reducing domestic and gender violence in Estonian society and increasing the awareness of specialists about domestic and gender violence.

Results to be achieved through project activities include include the training of at least 310 specialists who become more aware of domestic and gender violence and the related causes, consequences, possibilities for assistance, avoidance of re-victimisation, and options to enhance inter-agency cooperation. 

Two training programmes (training event of six academic hours and training event of 36 academic hours) will be developed in cooperation with the project partner Association ‘MARTA Centre’ and the think tank of the project, taking into account the needs of target groups, which have been previously identified and specified. The training programmes will be tested in six regions of Estonia as part of this project, and the training programmes will be approved by the end of the project on the basis of feedback from training providers and training groups by an expert group.

The project will also include at least six outreach activities in six regions of Estonia (the same location where the training days of 6 hours take place), either as an on-site information day or remotely (e.g. via Zoom); the general public will also be informed of the project activities and results through media channels and on the website of the project at the beginning of the project, during the project, and at the end of the project.

Summary of project results

The project aimed at reducing domestic and gender violence in Estonian society and increase the awareness of specialists about domestic and gender violence.

 The project developed 2 different training programmes (length 6 academic hours and 36 academic hours) and carried out 13 trainings. Altogether, 396 specialists (socail workers, child protection workers, health care specialists, police, procecutors'' office, prison workers,´investigators, social pedagogues, school teachers, kindergarten teachers, psychologists etc.) were trained on becoming more aware of domestic and gender violence and the related causes, consequences, possibilities for assistance, avoidance of re-victimisation, and options to enhance inter-agency cooperation. 

The programmes were developed in cooperation with the project partner Association ‘MARTA Centre’ from Latvia. Outreach activities in six regions of Estonia were transformed from public information events to using regional key specialists, as the timing of the training sessions overlapped with the start of warfare in Ukraine and the focus of the specialists was turned into this crisis. 

The project was able to engage with a large variety of specialists and trained them on domestic and gender violence and the related causes, consequences, possibilities for assistance, avoidance of re-victimisation, and options to enhance inter-agency cooperation. The need for this kind of training is continuous in order to be able to make a change in people''s attitudes and specialists'' work processes. There are 2 comprehensive training programmes in place for continuation. The Project Promoter is mostly operating on a project basis, but is in parallel also communicating with local communities and other institutions and promoting the topic and the need for trainings. 

Information on the projects funded by the EEA and Norway Grants is provided by the Programme and Fund Operators in the Beneficiary States, who are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of this information.