An information meeting was held online with members of Kutaisi Women Initiative Group. The meeting discussed the dynamics of advocacy of priority issues. The group is constantly working with local government on these problems. For a quick response, the leaders of the group once again prepared a letter addressed to the Mayor of the city and the Gender Equality Council.
The initiative group began to identify new issues and drafted an advocacy plan.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
A round table with participation of local referral entities - members of the City Hall Gender Equality Council, representatives of local self-government, the police and the social sphere, teachers and medical personnel, was held in the meeting room of Khobi municipality City Hall.
There was discussion regarding a problem of domestic violence and the importance of cooperation with local structures. They talked about statistics in scales of municipality, also about identification of cases of violence, and assistance to the victims. Particular attention was paid to referral mechanisms and cooperation between different departments to contribute to the prevention of violence.
During the meeting, a presentation was made on the topic “National Referral Procedures for the Identification, Protection, Assistance and Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence against Women and/or Domestic Violence (National Referral Mechanism)”.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
A meeting, organized by the monitoring group of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" and Vani Gender Equality Council was held in Vani. The meeting was attended by the leadership of the association of kindergartens, the administration and managers of the kindergartens, educators, psychologists and methodologists. Representatives of the City Hall department for the protection of children's rights were invited to the meeting.
The participants received information about the new report of the Fund "Sukhumi" -
“Assessment of Effectiveness of the Municipalities’ Preventive Measures to Combat Violence Against Women/Domestic Violence.”
The main emphasis was placed on the challenges presented in the document and on the recommendations that will improve the work of local governments and kindergarten associations in violence prevention.
The coordinator and inspector of the department told the participants of the meeting about the program of the department for the protection of children's rights. The Secretary of the Gender Equality Council informed them about the activities and plans for the future.
During the meeting, a number of problems that require immediate response were identified. Further cooperation was planned.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Forum theater performances are dedicated to violence, bullying, family relationships, conflicts. All these topics are relevant, so the appearance of young actors on the street is of particular interest to the audience...
In July, the forum-theater held two performances in the parks of Kutaisi. Audiences of all ages took part in the discussion. Most people avoid introducing themselves and being photographed. However, everyone unanimously notes that the forum theater is an interesting form for talking about problems with society.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
There are quite a lot of leaders in the Youth Empowerment Centers. They have experience of working with their peers, and it is from them that the Women Fund "Sukhumi" has created a network of young trainers.
Network members passed trainings, discussing the structure of the training and the skills required for a trainer.
Many nuances were added to the experience of the participants, as they got acquainted with important issues: creating a module, defining training goals, communicating with the audience, the specifics of the training, preparing a presentation, arranging the hall, allocating time, the most common mistakes of trainers, etc.
As a result of the training, the participants understood the basic principles of building a training, learned how to manage the audience and properly allocate time. They can already plan and conduct trainings.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Chokhatauri a meeting with local referral entities (services of the City Hall: department for the protection of children's rights, interdepartmental commission, gender equality council of the municipality, representatives of the City Hall in administrative units, as well as kindergarten and school teachers, family doctors). The participants of the meeting were introduced to the guide "Prevention and response to gender-based violence in war and post-war conditions - experience and recommendations of women’s NGOs", which describes the experience of 6 partner organizations of the WAVE network.
Attention was focused on the experience of the Fund “Sukhumi”, which tells that in condition of prolonged conflict, “no war, no peace”, an environment of violent behavior appears when family conflicts and violence against women increase.
Fund "Sukhumi" has successful practices that have received international recognition: public awareness regarding the problem of violence and the introduction of a gender responsive early warning system (GREWS), identification of cases and provision of services, strengthening the rights of women and girls and promoting coordinated actions of local referral entities, launching a digital resource center platform on existing support/assistance services, strengthening institutional mechanisms of gender equality at the municipal level.
The meeting participants noted that the prolonged conflict left its mark on various spheres of public life. According to them, governmental structures, public institutions and civil society organizations are the main actors responsible for the protection of women and girls during and after the war.
Opinions were exchanged regarding the most acute challenges in terms of prevention and effective response to violence against women/domestic violence.
For detailed information about the guide, the participants were given the link: https://wave-network.org/wp.../uploads/Toolkit-Georgian.pdf
In order to conductor successful advocacy, it is necessary to have more like-minded people to imagine the importance of the problem. This goal was set by the IDP Women Initiative Group in Khoni, so that people living in the IDP settlement would better understand the problem.
In July, a cycle of information meetings was held - the population was informed about the importance of a program in the local government budget that would allow homeowners associations, together with the local government, to implement infrastructure projects.
As a result of the meetings, the participants analyzed that this will solve as many important issues as possible to improve the living conditions of IDPs.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
Despite the school holidays, the training course continues at the Youth Empowerment Centers.
5 trainings were held - with Terjola, Samtredia, Zugdidi, Tsalenjikha and Khobi groups. Young people openly spoke about the results of the course and the changes they feel and see. They started preparations for the final meetings where they will present their presentations. It is important that the participants of the training actively participate in various youth events held in the municipalities. This is also one of the results of our work.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Members of the women group of the village Pakhulani - Tsalenjikha municipality discussed the actual issues identified according to the results of the conducted research. Insufficient garbage bins in the village were identified as a problem. The second issue is the lack of fast internet. There is internet in the village, but it is of low quality, therefore the members of the group work to advocate the introduction of such company that will have a quality internet and television package.
