Description
There is a critical situation in the Spisska Nova Ves district concerning the lack of counselling centre providing specialized support services to women experiencing intimate partner violence and their children. The project outcome lies in the increased availability of specialised counselling support services for women experiencing gender based intimate partner violence and their children in the Spisska Nova Ves district. The counselling centre will provide complex help and support based on gender and human rights principles and the principle of non-discrimination. The project’s main activity includes direct provision of specialised support services in the form of counselling (crisis intervention via helpline, social, legal and psychological counselling, legal help and support groups for women and also for their children). Women experiencing gender based intimate partner violence and their children are the project’s primary target group. No partner from Norway co-implements the project.
Summary of project results
Thanks to this project we were able to establish new Counseling Center HANA and launch helpline in Spišská Nová Ves. Our aim was to contribute to availability and high-quality support to all the women including rural women. Established Center provides security, protection, empowerment, women's rights and social change. At the beginning, we started the process of setting up a counseling center that will be in line with the Council of Europe Minimum Standards. We greatly appreciate the fact that we had an experienced partner in this project, as well as a professional guarantor Fenestra. Thanks to the project, we have raised awareness and sensitized the wider public and have begun working with relevant institutions to provide comprehensive assistance to women experiencing violence. Establishing of a new counseling center required sufficient time for the preparation phase. In the beginning of the project we focused mainly on the study and preparation of the materials and relevant materials at the professional level. This was mainly about the preparation of record sheets and documents for working with clients. We had to secure a lot of organizational and content settings. We dealt with setting up, planning and assigning tasks within a counseling center, promoting specialized services, and so on. At the same time, we have completed the training provided by Fenestra's partner. We paid great attention to the media, organizational and content preparation of the Opening Conference, which we perceived as the first step in establishing cooperation with the institutions in the city of SPnV, promoting counseling center HANA and introducing the project. We have applied for accreditation of providing social services. We also carried out workshops for representatives or relevant state and public institutions and organizations to increase their awareness about gender based violence against women and Closing conference. To reach young students we offered local schools prevention theatre shows that met with good respond form kids as well as teachers. The project allowed us to set up the HANA Consulting Center and the crisis help line for women experiencing gender based intimate partner violence. We managed to organize an opening and closing conference, and introduce ourselves on the professional level. At the same time, we have built the foundations for multi-institutional cooperation with relevant institutions- through organizing workshops and working meetings with relevant institutions .
Summary of bilateral results