Meetings with the psychologist of the Women Fund “Sukhumi” were held in Women Support Centers of Vani, Kobuleti, Chokhatauri, Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha municipalities. The meetings were held mainly in a group format - there were also online meetings and individual meetings based on the needs of children.
The main topic of the meetings was: “What are the characteristics of a rapist.” It was noted that perhaps most of them did not have sufficient support and upbringing in childhood, they had low self-esteem, and were socially isolated. When a person's self-satisfaction is low, he needs emotional support from others.
The main focus of the psychologist's meetings was family relationships, the relationship between husband and wife... The conversation on these topics turned out to be interesting for the meeting participants.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Initiative, active mutual support groups were created in 10 municipalities.
Project assistant met group members in Tskaltubo, Chokhatauri, Zugdidi (village Khurcha) and Vani municipalities, and held an online meeting with the Bagdati group.
Case related to early marriage was discussed in Tskaltubo, in Chokhatauri they talked about the problems of rural women. Bagdati group talked about more effective assistance to violence victims, and in Khurcha, the active participation of local government was emphasized. Psychologist held an ordinary meeting with Vani women group.
other five municipalities - Senaki, Tsalenjikha, Samtredia, Terjola and Kobuleti - the group leaders held meetings themselves. Problems were identified everywhere (payment of alimony, housing or property cases), and advocacy is carried out in cooperation with local government. Group members want their work and results to be an example for other women.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
The members of the youth club of the village Didinedzi discussed gender issues seen through the eyes of young people. They talked about how much information their peers have on the mentioned issue and named the existing problems and challenges in terms of gender. The members of the Women Initiative Group of the village Didinedzi spoke about the advocacy of the identified problems. They discussed the issues in detail and negotiated the future plan.
During October meeting the members of the Women Initiative Group of the village Pakhulani - Tsalenjikha municipality spoke about the problems identified during the advocacy. They reviewed the direction in which the work should be improved to solve the problems identified by them.
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
Training on the topic of peace was held with the members of the youth group of the village Koki - Zugdidi municipality. The participants talked about meaning of peace. With the help of a simulated exercise, they discussed that dialogue, communication, cooperation, trust, tolerance are necessary for peace. The training showed how important the involvement of young people in peace processes is. The Women Initiative Group of the village Koki is working on advocacy of identified problems. During the meeting, the participants shared with each other the results achieved in terms of advocacy, they talked about the direction in which the work should be improved.
The Women Fund “Sukhumi” held a round table in Kobuleti municipality with the participation of representatives of local referral entities (organized by the gender council of the municipality).
Participants talked about prevention of violence and protection of violence victims, discussed the current situation regarding domestic violence and issues of social cooperation.
The main emphasis was placed on partnership of local structures to solve the problem of domestic violence.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Gender, gender-based violence, identification of violence, communication with a child and referral stages, legal mechanisms and international documents, the role of teachers in violence prevention - these issues were discussed at a training held for teachers in Kutaisi, in the office of the Women Fund “Sukhumi”.
Participants represented 6 municipalities (Chokhatauri, Vani, Khoni, Zugdidi, Tskaltubo and Bagdati). They actively participated in the work process, discussions and shared their experiences with each other.
It was noted that the training participants will introduce gender approaches into their schools and will contribute to the destruction of stereotypes and the prevention of violence.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Tskaltubo Women Initiative Group actively uses monthly meetings to divide problems into priorities and advocacy. In the coming months, the advocacy process will be devoted to the issue of municipal transport.
Participants also talked about covering problematic IDP residential buildings with waterproof material. This issue requires large financial resources, so advocacy at the central level is necessary.
The project is implemented with the support
of the UN Women organization
