Description
The objective of the project is to contribute to covering the gaps in services supporting victims of gendered violence, to the empowering of women - survivors, to the activation of specialists and experts in order to aid victims of domestic violence and trafficking facing multiple difficulties, in order to acquire legal literacy skills and to raising awareness to wider groups of citizens about the urgency to prevent and combat VAW. The target groups of the project are the general public, young people, migrant women, women refugees and asylum seekers, victims of domestic violence and trafficking, lawyers, legal officers/ law operators and NGOs' members and employees. The project includes four interrelated and complementary activities regarding services of legal advocacy and empowerment of gendered violence victims (legal counseling/ support when filing an appeal and empowerment workshops for women, the organization of a campaign to inform the public & raise awareness, open peer learning sessions and networking with associations of lawyers and agencies or NGOs supporting women in the field of justice.
Summary of project results
The programme of legal aid and empowerment for GBV victims/survivors addressed an actual need for women who in the context of economic crisis, lack the economic resources to take bring their legal matters to justice, resulting of their decision to leave a violent relationship. It is about obstacles to have equal access to justice, as well as to their efforts to get rid of the consequences of gender violence they have experienced and start a new autonomous life for themselves and their children with dignity. A great spectrum of legal cases have been appealed and also legal assistance has been provided for matters related with public authorities for 103 (more than 65 that was the target) local and migrant women who participated in the 1 year programme. The knowledge gathered from the field regarding implementation of the law and relevant legal professional’s practices (police, justice, prosecutors etc.) has been codified in an Index of good legal practices serving as a gender sensitization tool of knowledge and raising awareness. Empowerment seminars were organized with the participation of 40 women – supported by the provision of creative occupation for their children – in which they had the opportunity to get strengthened to overcome psycho-social consequences of violence, to be trained in searching for positive solutions and also exchange experiences and support each other. Based on the drama therapy method, a group of beneficiaries worked and prepared an innovative theatrical performance (“the flourished shoes”) and develop an innovative sensitization tool for the greater public. A public awareness raising campaign was running in parallel based on the production of innovative prevention and awareness raising tools (face book page, brochures and flyers, quiz, video, Index, theatrical piece, social media publications) which contribute to the erosion of the phenomenon of violence against women.
Summary of bilateral results