Establish an effective link between gender-based violence services and migrant women’s communities to promote early identification, prevention and support in the post-COVID-19 context, through a community-based approach.
Context
The inadequacies of the protection system against gender-based violence in the context of the COVID-19 emergency add to the previous shortcomings. Despite legal and political efforts against gender-based violence at the European level and in the member states to make protection and support services available to all potential victims, the full and effective access of migrant and refugee women survivors of gender-based sexual violence to specialised support services tailored to their needs remains a challenge. The limited reporting and use of support services by migrant women is due to several factors, such as structural barriers related to irregular legal status, cultural and environmental pressures, isolation (socially and institutionally), excessive bureaucracy, fear of retaliation, cultural differences or limited ability to self-identify as victims of GBV.
To promote the necessary link between services and migrant communities, the project aims to identify and engage a group of migrant women as community leaders and mentors, with the potential to mobilise support networks among women, improve early identification of and support for potential victims in migrant communities, and train professionals in support services to ensure that they are better suited to their needs.
Objectives
- Strengthen the capacities of migrant women as community leaders in the identification, prevention, support and empowerment of other women on past experiences of gender-based violence.
- Identify strengths and improve support services for migrant women at risk, victims and/or survivors of gender-based violence.
- Improve the capacity of professionals working in gender-based violence services to identify and support migrant women.
- Facilitate coordination between support services and community networks of migrant women.
Activities
- Training programme against gender-based violence with and for migrant women.
- Participatory action research with migrant women to identify needs within support services and potential solutions.
- Strengthening and sustainability of community networks of migrant women.
- Needs assessment of support services related to gender-based violence with a focus on the effects of covid-19.
- Professional training and awareness-raising programme implemented by migrant women acting as community leaders.
- Development and implementation of Action Plans to foster coordination between support services and community networks of migrant women.
- Awareness-raising and advocacy campaigns against discrimination against migrant women.
Resources
- Training programme for migrant women
- Community Linkage Toolkit
- Audio-visual Awareness Campaign
Impact
- Involve 60 migrant women in the creation of community networks involving other 160 women.
- Train 120 professionals on the intercultural approach and the intersectional dimension of gender-based violence with regard to migrant women.
- 100 migrant women victims and/or survivors of gender-based violence benefited from pilot actions on support services.
- Developing better coordination in the implementation of innovative support strategies among both migrant women victims and/or survivors of gender-based violence and professionals in support services.
- Raising awareness on the issue among 15,000 people, with the use of the campaign.
Partner
- SURT Fundacio De Dones Fundacio Privada (Spain, coordinator)
- CESIE (Italy)
- Diotima – Centre For Gender Rights & Equality (Greece)
- Zrs Koper – Znanstveno-Raziskovalno Središče Koper (Slovenia)
