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Description
The Project Promoter addresses the problem of abuse of women and young people, especially mental and financial abuse, in the Municipality of Jeleśnia. 13 000 people live in the municipality, while the number of Blue Cards created in the municipality in recent years has been between 50 and 70 (Żywiec County Family Aid Center). This does not fully reflect the problem, however – gender-based violence continues to be taboo, especially in small towns and villages. In addition, alcohol abuse by perpetrators is a contributing factor, and this is almost a universal problem in the municipality. Since 2019, the Project Promoter has operated the only free psychological counseling center in the vicinity, while it has observed a significant increase in the need for help in recent months. Meanwhile, there is no other support available in the area for abuse victims - the nearest psychological on-call service is in Żywiec, twenty kilometers away. While there is a legal advice desk in the municipal authority office, it does not provide mediation. The Project Promotor will develop the activity of its psychological aid center and expand the scope of support by providing free mediation. The center’s operations will be accompanied by a local information campaign on the aid available, intended also to raise public awareness of the problem of abuse. The campaign will include a series of programs on the local internet radio station. The measures are intended for abused people living in the Jeleśnia municipality - primarily women and young people. In total, approximately 400 people will receive psychological counseling and mediation. They will receive real support, improve belief in themselves and their self-esteem, regain a sense of agency and influence, and develop conflict resolution skills. Local residents will also become more aware of the problem of violence – how common it is and the forms it takes.
Summary of project results
The project addresses the problem of violence against women, especially psychological and economic violence, in the municipality of Jeleśnia. The municipality has a population of 13,000 people, and in recent times the number of Blue Cards issued every year ranged from 50 to 70 (PCPR in Żywiec). However, these data do not show the whole phenomenon - gender-based violence remains a taboo subject, especially in small towns and villages. Additionally, alcohol abuse by perpetrators is a contributing factor to violence, which is an almost universal problem in the municipality. Since 2019 Project Promoter runs the only free psychological counselling point in the area. However, from its observations, the demand for help has increased significantly in recent months. Meanwhile, there is a lack of other support for victims of violence in this area - the nearest free psychological counselling point is only available in Zywiec, 20 km away.
As part of the project,the Project Promoter developed the activities of its psychological help point and extended the scope of support by providing free mediation to clients. The activities of the help point were accompanied by a local information campaign on the help offered and raising public awareness of the phenomenon of violence. Part of the campaign included a series of live talks and several educational radio podcasts on various aspects of the problem of violence.
The activities were aimed at people experiencing violence living in the Jeleśnia municipality - mainly women and young people. 238 people received free psychological support and 46 people benefited from mediation. They received real help, strengthened self-confidence, self-esteem, regained a sense of agency and influence, and developed the competence to recognise and respond to various manifestations of violence. The awareness of local residents about the problem of violence - the prevalence of the phenomenon and the forms it takes -has also increased. The Project Promoter has established partnerships with local public institutions: the municipality office, cultural centre and schools - which have joined in the outreach activities and supported the Project Promoter by making their infrastructure available for the needs of the project.