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Description
The project is the first anti-discrimination educational activity addressed to the uniformed services. It aim is to raise awareness about discrimination in the workplace, identify threats and teach how to respond to it appropriately. The project is a response to the lack of systemic solutions in the uniformed services, the lack of anti-discrimination procedures and legal regulations, the lack of a ‘check list’ for reporting officers and supervisors, the lack of protection of whistleblowers from retaliation, the lack of legal and psychological assistance for reporting officers, the lack of anti-discrimination education for the uniformed services and the candidates, the lack of training on mechanisms of support and stress management, conflict resolutions and counteracting violent behavior. The subordination of psychologists and others to whom complaints are reported does not guarantee objectivity and effectiveness in solving the problem of discrimination. There is a lack of statistical data on this problem. A 2009 survey of 140 female soldiers by the Army Social Research Bureau confirmed that more than 30% respondents had encountered bullying (12% personally, 21.5% witnessed), 6% had experienced sexual abuse, and 12.6% harassment. The direct beneficiaries of the project are soldiers, officers and civilian employees, indirect – the management staff, commanders, heads of training centers, decision-makers in the Ministries of forces, witnesses of acts of discrimination in the place of service, personnel attorneys of uniformed institutions, witnesses of discriminatory actions, trade unions of various services. As part of the project we will develop a guide for uniformed services, conduct a public awareness campaign, produce three movies dedicated to three subjects: discrimination, law, and psychology, and record 3-12 podcasts – interviews with experts.