Enhancing educators’ skills to address the interdependence between sexual exploitation and gender-based violence, empowering women* through storytelling for inclusion and resilience, and fostering transnational cooperation to tackle global challenges.
*We understand women from a non-binary approach to gender identity and hence every person who identifies as a woman.
Context
Human trafficking for sexual exploitation is a pervasive global issue affecting millions of people, mostly women and girls, and requires strategic and coordinated transnational actions. These crimes are not limited to specific countries or regions but are interconnected across borders, incentivised by different border and migration management policies, driven by systemic inequalities, economic disparities, and organised crime networks. Women victims and survivours often face severe physical, emotional, and psychological consequences, highlighting the urgent need for initiatives that prevent all forms of gender-based violence (GBV) and provide tailored, relevant support to them or those at risk.
Building on the ACT! initiative, the WeLENS project aims at contributing to citizens’ critical understanding on global interdependencies behind GBV and sexual exploitation and understanding the root causes and relationships between countries and actors in the phenomenon. WeLENS seeks to strengthen educators and professionals’ capacities who work with women victims or survivours or at risk of GVB and sexual exploitation, to promote networking, and to raise public awareness by engaging women themselves, to ultimately foster a global community committed to combating the phenomenon.
Context
- To design interdisciplinary and Interglobal educational modules and professional tools on GBV and sexual exploitation.
- To build and strengthen the capacities of EU and third-countries organisations in devising and developing effective strategies to address the challenge of GBV worldwide.
- To promote strategic cross-border cooperation and networking between organisations from EU member states and third countries.
- To encourage women’s engagement in storytelling initiatives to foster resilience and raise public awareness, focusing on stimulating emotional memories.
- To raise public awareness and facilitate access to deeper and meaningful information on the global and internal interdependencies underlying GBV and sexual exploitation.
Activities
- Co-design of the Sexual Exploitation and Violence Toolkit for educators based on 4 hematic tables on (a) feminism, intersectional approach and gender exploitation, (b) prostitution and trafficking, (c) addiction, trauma, health and care, (d) the role of ICT and the interconnection between states/sectors.
- Peer-to-peer training on gender-sensitive communication.
- Co-production of magazine special issues with women to be published at the We See magazine.
- Collection of video testimonies from women victims of violence worldwide.
- Intersectional, multicultural and multidirectional awareness-raising campaign on gender equality, sexual exploitation, trafficking and women’s rights.
- Multiplier Events
- Capacity building for educators and professionals on addressing sexual exploitation and GBV.
Resources
- Sexual Exploitation and Violence Toolkit
- 4 special issues of the We See Magazine, including articles from experts, photographs, and stories from women.
- Virtual Memory Library with 45 video testimonies from women and professionals’ interviews.
Impact
- 19 adult educators from Martinique, France, Greece, Italy, Estonia, Argentina, Mexico, and Guyana, have acquired new educational tools to understand the interdependences behind gender-based violence and sexual exploitation.
- Cross-border networking to contrast gender-based violence and sexual exploitation is developed.
- 45 women at risk, victims and/or survivours of GVB and sexual exploitation are engaged in the awareness raising campaign and empowered on contrasting gender-based violence.
- 100.000 individuals including educators, professionals, citizens, key stakeholders, organisations, and political representatives at the national, EU, and international levels are reached through the WeLENS campaign and are aware of the global interdependencies behind gender-based violence and sexual exploitation.
- 135 adult educators/professionals/operators are trained on GBV & sexual exploitation.
Partners
- DADA – D’Antilles et D’Ailleurs (Martinique, coordinator)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- FemLENS (Estonia)
- NO GAP (Italy)
- Elan interculturel (France)
- KEMEA – KEntro MEleton Asfaleias (Greece)
- WAD – Women Across Differences (Guyana)
- MVT – Asociacion madres de constitucion para fomentar la seguridad y el bienestar de los habitantes (Argentina)
- CUVT – Comision Unidos vs Trata (Mexico)
- Beecom (Italy)
