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Description
The older people in the Zbrosławice municipality are more and more often becoming victims of violence. Data from the Police and the Municipal Social Care Centre reveal that the problem exists, but according to the employees of these institutions it is underestimated. In 2020, 31 ‘Blue Card’ procedures were initiated in the municipality, and the victims were 31 women, including 10 aged 60+. Data from the Police Station in Zbrosławice shows that between 2015 and 2020, more than 350 domestic interventions involving violence were carried out. According to the police chief, there was a significant increase in violence against the elderly in 2020, after the Covid-19 pandemic started. We also learnt about this problem thanks to the work of volunteers. However, it does not appear in municipal studies. Therefore, with this project we want to fill the gap in the local system of violence prevention by implementing various intervention, information, diagnostic and advocacy activities. The aim of the project is to prevent violence among seniors in the municipality of Zbrosławice. Beneficiaries of the project are women and men aged 60+ (60 people) and their environment, including institutions dealing with violence. We will conduct workshops on human rights, workshops on violence, relaxation and volunteering. We will provide specialist counselling, launch a helpline for seniors and senior support groups. We will carry out an educational and promotional campaign on violence against people aged 60+, and specialised training for NGO and local government employees dealing with violence. The project will raise awareness in the municipality of the problem of violence against people 60+ and create a system of counteracting violence.
Summary of project results
We managed to reach the group of seniors, 60 people aged 60+.
Project participants benefited most from the project activities. Their knowledge of counteracting violence, human rights, seniors'' rights, equal opportunities, and dealing with crisis situations has increased, e.g. by talking to a psychologist as part of individual consultations or by talking to a specialist on duty at the helpline.
Implementation effects: reducing the scale of violence among people aged +60, support and interventions, professionalization of activities and cooperation with local government units, violence prevention program for people aged +60.
We managed to implement all planned activities, such as:
- Two educational workshops - One educational workshop concerned seniors'' rights - Topics of seniors'' rights: the importance of human rights - Universal system of human rights protection, discussion of the legal basis of international and Polish law with particular emphasis on the International Charter of Human Rights and the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, definition and importance of human rights, who may be deprived of rights, seniors and women, and civil rights. The second one concerned the prevention of violence - defining the phenomenon of violence and types of violence.
- Support groups - a support group was a form of self-help group.
- Senior helpline - Anyone could talk to the person on duty. The consultant tried to listen to the needs of a given person, strengthen them with friendly messages, offer specialist support, and in special cases could independently refer them for help.
- Educational trip - The effect of participation in this form of support was the integration of seniors
- Senior initiatives - The aim of the participants was to organize various activities addressed to the local community aimed at encouraging volunteering and counteracting the phenomenon of violence
- Individual support - personal and telephone duty was alternately performed by a psychologist and a lawyer
- Cooperation with institutions and residents - Three forms of support were implemented: specialist training, development of an anti-violence program for seniors, organization of meetings with residents
- Relaxation workshops - The relaxation workshops were aimed at giving seniors a break
We reached the group of seniors, 60 people aged 60+. Their knowledge of counteracting violence, human rights, seniors'' rights, equal opportunities, and dealing with crisis situations has increased, e.g. by talking to a psychologist as part of individual consultations or by talking to a specialist on duty at the helpline.
The implementation of activities within the project shows the changes that have occurred in seniors:
- changing the participants'' attitude to a proactive one - participants are more open, willing to cooperate, talk about implemented forms of support among themselves and other project participants, talked about project activities with their families and friends, and also motivated their peers to active forms of acquiring knowledge
- increasing knowledge in the field of human rights, violence, equal opportunities, as shown by pre and post tests, as also shown by the activity of seniors during workshops, as well as their activity during helpline support, or during the development and implementation of spots,
- increased awareness of one''s rights, as shown by pre and post tests, as a result of the analysis, a qualitative change in this respect can be made
- procedures for dealing with violence interventions developed during specialist training between representatives of institutions dealing with violence prevention. These procedures are still used despite the completion of the project