During the next meeting, the members of Senaki women initiative group evaluated their activities, reviewed the list of identified problems and discussed ways to solve the problematic issues. According to the participants, teamwork, gender sensitivity, well-written advocacy plan helped them to solve various issues. At the beginning of the meeting, they talked about the 16-day campaign. The women focused on gender stereotypes and increased cases of violence in society. The members of Senaki youth group talked about the problems, reasons and consequences of domestic violence. They received information about a 16-day campaign against gender-based violence. Activities to be held within the campaign were planned.
Domestic violence, legislation, prevention of violence and raising awareness - the members of the women initiative group of the village Koki - Zugdidi municipality were trained on these issues. They talked about the forms of violence, protection mechanisms and state services. The meeting held with Koki youth initiative group was dedicated to the topic of promotion of peace and non-violent culture. The young people were informed about the campaign of "16 active days against gender-based violence".
The members of the youth club of the village Didinedzi - Zugdidi municipality attended the screening of short films made by the young volunteers of the Women Fund "Sukhumi". Discussion was held. The teenagers expressed their opinions. The topics of the films were the following: migration, tolerance and domestic violence. Didinedzi women initiative group continues to work on advocacy issues. An important problem is the construction and cleaning of drainage channels in the village. The members of the group have sent letters to Zugdidi City Hall and City Council with a request to resolve the issue and are waiting for the response.
Members of Senaki Women Initiative Group held their next planned meeting. The meeting participants evaluated their activities. They reviewed the list of identified issues and talked about the prospects for unresolved problems.
According to the participants, teamwork, gender sensitivity, and a well-designed advocacy plan contributed to solving various problems. Based on the gained experience, work on long-term problems will be continued in future.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
Members of Zugdidi Women Initiative Group gathered for the next meeting. The problems, resolved with the help of the Women Fund “Sukhumi” were noted with pride.
The problem that was voiced to various Ministries and Departments on behalf of the organization was especially emphasized. This was one of the proposals of the group, and it has already been decided: next to the men police officers on the dividing line of Abkhazia there are female police officers too, and it is they who check the women when crossing the Inguri checkpoint. This eliminated a lot of inconvenience.
Each new solved problem is an incentive for further work of the Women Initiative Group.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
Representatives of the British Embassy visited the Women Fund “Sukhumi”. The meeting discussed the importance of women, peace and security agenda and women's involvement in local government.
Particularly impressive were the results achieved by the Women Initiative Groups of Kutaisi, Tskaltubo, Khoni, Senaki and Zugdidi. The project assistants spoke about the problems already advocated and solved, the network activities, the great power that exists in the form of this network, which can do a lot of good in the future.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
Members of Khoni Women Initiative Group summarized the results of the work done within the framework of the project during online meeting. They got acquainted with blogs that cover their activities. Particular emphasis was placed on issues that are currently being advocated. Meeting with the representative of local government was held in order to assess the dynamics of problem advocacy.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
Ekaterine Gamakharia, the head of the Tbilisi representative office of "Women's Fund Sukhumi," participated in the 25th international conference organized by the WAVE network in Madrid. The conference focused on the topic of "Institutional violence and its impact on women's rights in Europe." Approximately 200 women's rights defenders from various European countries discussed institutional violence against women, female migrants, and disabled individuals who have experienced abuse at the hands of state structures.
During the conference, Ekaterine Gamakharia took part in a parallel panel discussion with representatives from the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) and non-governmental organizations that are partners of the WAVE network. These organizations, including the Center "Women's Perspectives" in Lviv, Ukraine; the Sexual Assault Crisis Center in Yerevan, Armenia; and the "United Women of Banja Luka" Foundation in Bosnia & Herzegovina, provided insights into the project. Gamakharia had the opportunity to share information about the toolkit titled "Prevention and response to gender-based violence in the war and post-war period: Experience and recommendations of women's non-governmental organizations." The toolkit describes the experiences and best practices of women's organizations in Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina in preventing and responding to violence against conflict-affected women in war, protracted conflict, and post-conflict settings. The toolkit can be accessed here
How to combat gender stereotypes, how to break the cycle of violence, how accessible existing services are, what are the mechanisms to support and empower the women victims - these issues were discussed by participants during information meetings held in Women Support Centers.
Participants believe that the role of education is valuable in the process of destroying gender stereotypes. The need to introduce appropriate programs as a component of women empowerment in the economic direction was emphasized.
During the entire month, eight families under the crisis were identified. Mobilizers of Women Support Centers actively cooperate with them and offer beneficiaries the necessary services.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
With this slogan, the Women Fund "Sukhumi" joins the international information campaign "16 active days against gender-based violence."
The campaign started on November 25 and will end on December 10.
Our organization has been an active participant of the campaign for 21 years.
This information leaflet was prepared for the campaign and printed in large edition.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)