Empowering and supporting women, identifying cases of violence, advocating for various problems of communities - these are the main directions that determine the activities of the Women Support Centers.
An action was held at Khurcha (Zugdidi municipality) Women Support Center - a group of women were made a free blood test; a socially disadvantaged woman in Samtredia was assisted in preparation of necessary documents; in Kobuleti, with the help of a mobilizer, a woman victim of violence was included in the municipal program and her situation improved. In Baghdati and Tsalenjikha, women had the prospect of economic empowerment, as after being informed they were included in economic programs.
Such results were recorded in the June report of Khurcha/Zugdidi, Samtredia, Tsalenjikha, Kobuleti and Baghdati Women Support Centers.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
An information exchange meeting was held Kobuleti City Hall. The meeting was initiated by the Municipal Gender Equality Council and the Women Fund "Sukhumi", in cooperation with the Educational Resource Center and the Department for Children's Rights of the City Hall. The topic of the meeting was “Local cooperation for creation of a child/family-oriented psycho-social environment”.
During the meeting, representatives of the education sector were acquainted with the main activities of Kobuleti department for the protection of children's rights and their support. There was a dialogue regarding the services focused on children/families, challenges and prospects for cooperation with the educational sector in the field of protecting children's rights. Specific cases requiring urgent management were discussed. An agreement was reached to exchange such information systematically.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
A round table with the participation of members of the Interdepartmental Council of the municipality was held in Senaki. The local referral entities: members of the Gender Equality Council of the City Council, representatives of local government, healthcare, educational resource center and police participated at the meeting.
There was a conversation about the situation in terms of violence and assistance to victims. Important time was devoted to the lawyer, who familiarized the participants with the referencing document, as well as the duties and functions of concrete authorized persons.
At the meeting, the participants were also informed about the practical guide/toolkit: "Preventing and responding to gender-based violence in war and post-war settings - experiences and recommendations of women's NGOs", which was developed by the WAVE Network in collaboration with its four WAVE members in 2022 by the support of the OSCE. The Toolkit describes best practices and the strategies employed by the women's NGOs to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in different phases of conflict.
- Strategies during Wartime and emergency response settings were shared by Ukrainian and Armenian partners Sexual Assault Crisis Center (Yerevan, Armenia), Centre “Women’s Perspectives” (Lviv, Ukraine);
- Strategies during Protracted conflict were described by the Women's Foundation "Sukhumi" (Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Georgia);
- Strategies during Post-war and long-term perspective were based on the experience of the Bosnia-Herzegovina partner. Foundation United Women Banja Luka (Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina)
(A practical guide is available here https://www.osce.org/secretariat/530695)
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
An information meeting organized by the advocacy group of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" and the Children's Department of the municipality was held in the kindergarten No. 2 in Samtredia.
The participants - the administration and teachers of the kindergarten - got acquainted with the work of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" and the services that the organization provides to women. They also received information about the program of the City Hall Department for the protection of children's rights.
During the meeting, a number of acute problems were identified that require immediate response. The participants also planned cooperation with the children's department.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
A two-day training for medical personnel was held at the office of the Women Fund "Sukhumi". The training was attended by 15 participants from Tskaltubo, Tkibuli, Vani, Terjola and Samtredia municipalities.
The topic of the training was “The role of medical personnel in violence prevention and victim protection”Following issues were discussed during the training: violence against women and children, the Istanbul Convention, referral mechanisms, victim identification groups.
According to the participants, this work is actual and necessary:
“We talked about what are the resources of doctors for identification of violence and we will definitely use these methods into practice”.
“At first, we discussed the reasons of the problem, when we do the right thing and when we do it wrong. The doctor has a great responsibility in terms of eradicating domestic violence, but many specialists do not know about it”.
The memorandum of mutual cooperation was signed by the chairman of Khobi City Council Levan Kavtaradze and the chairman of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" Alla Gamakharia.
The memorandum, in partnership with the non-governmental sector and local authorities, is another guarantor of democratic principles and gender justice in civil society. The parties agreed to strengthen the Gender Equality Council, improve the psycho-social and economic situation of women, jointly implement effective initiatives, youth projects, etc.
Fund “Sukhumi” has been cooperating with the municipalities of Western Georgia for many years, and we have managed to implement many successful projects. We hope to create many “success stories” in Khobi municipality also, with the correct cooperation strategy”, said Alla Gamakharia.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Mobilizers of the Women Support Center actively work with the activists of women communities to identify priority issues. Infrastructural problems are mostly identified. Women's centers in Senaki and Terjola have chosen the issues of cleaning sewer wells and regulation of street lighting for the advocacy.
In May, monitoring was also carried out at the Women Support Centers of Kobuleti and Bagdati. As a result of the monitoring, it was revealed which direction needs to be improved, what are the most acute necessities. The next meetings will be planned envisaging these needs.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The advocacy group of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" and Vani Gender Equality Council organized meetings in the schools of the villages Isriti and Salkhino. The meetings were attended by upper-graders, teachers and administration.
The meetings were very informative for the participants. They got acquainted with the work of the Fund "Sukhumi" and the services that the organization provides to women.
They also received information about the program of the City Hall Department for Children's Rights, which was presented by the coordinator and the inspector of the department. The Secretary of Gender Equality Council informed the audience about their work and plans. Participants identified a number of critical issues requiring immediate response. Further cooperation was planned during the meetings.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Local referral entities: members of the Gender Equality Council, existing in the City Council of the municipality, representatives of local self-government, the police and the social sphere, teachers and medical personnel gathered in the conference hall of Tkibuli Municipality City Hall
The meeting participants spoke about the facts of femicide, the problem of domestic violence and the importance of cooperation with local structures.
Attention was focused on ways of referencing, inter-agency cooperation and coordination that contribute to the prevention of violence.
During the meeting, there was a presentation on “National Referral Procedures for the Identification, Protection, Assistance and Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence against Women and/or Domestic Violence (National Referral Mechanism)”.
Important issues were raised during the conversation: municipal statistics on arresting orders, identification of problems and assistance to the victims.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
