The Women Fund “Sukhumi” has published a “Practical Guide for Responding to Gender-Based Violence for Representatives of Medical Institutions.” The aim of the guide is to provide medical workers, including doctors and nurses who have direct contact with patients, with information and tools that will help them to response to gender-based violence, in a timely, comprehensive and multi-sector way.
The practical guide includes the following issues:
- General information about violence against women and domestic violence;
- International and national standards for responding to gender-based violence from the side of representatives of medical institutions;
- The role of medical staff in responding to gender-based violence;
- Appropriate strategies, steps and recommendations to effectively respond to gender-based violence by medical staff;
- The importance of multi-sector collaboration in effectively responding to violence against women.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
With the support of the United Nations Development Program and the Government of Sweden, in cooperation with the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament of Georgia, a political forum for women members of the City Council was held in Tbilisi. The event was attended by over 150 delegates. Women councilors from all municipalities of Georgia actively participated in the forum. Special attention was given to enhancing the political participation of women in the lead-up to parliamentary and local demonstrations.
Linda Chikhladze, representative of the Women’s Fund "Sukhumi", attended the forum.
Women Initiative Group actively continue the survey process, which started last month. The members of the group carry out the process by the method of focus groups and in-depth interviews. The received information will be reflected in a general research, the aim of which is to reflect human security issues from a gender perspective. The members of the youth group focused on peace initiatives. Several activities have been planned that the group leaders will conduct in different classes. According to them, these activities will contribute to the popularization of peaceful communities.
The research "Assessment of the quality of human security" carried out by the members of the Fund “Sukhumi” Women Initiative Group continues. Four focus groups and four in-depth interviews will be conducted. The members of the group got acquainted with the main goals and objectives of the research, defined the target groups and distributed the responsibilities. The topic of the traditional February meeting of Kutaisi Youth Club was peace initiatives. The young people worked on the action plan and activities to be implemented in the future. New members, who joined the club, received detailed information about the activities of the youth club and the Fund “Sukhumi”. The meeting was hosted by Abkhazia Public School No. 6 named after Zhiuli Shartava.
The awareness of young people on gender problems, the introduction of non-violent culture, these topics were discussed at ordinary meeting by the members of the youth club of the village Koki - Zugdidi municipality. The members of the Women Initiative Group continue the research "Assessment of the quality of human security ", in frames of which focus groups and interviews are conducted. Concrete respondents are identified. Two focus groups and one interview were conducted.
Trainer Rusudan Karkadze conducted a training session on the topic of misinformation for young people from Kutaisi, Tskaltubo and Zugdidi, in the office of the Women Fund “Sukhumi”.
The following issues were discussed: media literacy, digital instruments, misinformation, cyber-bullying. Participants acquired practical skills in distinguishing fake information from real one, various specific methods of combating misinformation and how to use them in everyday life. They got acquainted with various web pages and worked on an interesting online test to better understand the essence of misinformation.
The training participants filled out questionnaires on the basis of which they will be selected for involvement in peacekeeping activities.
The cycle “5 ART” was finished - 5 meetings were held with refugees from different cities of Ukraine. The purpose of therapeutic meetings is to develop their ability to connect emotions and situations in which they are forced to find themselves. Meetings help children to eliminate emotional stress and associated symptoms, interact correctly with themselves and with others, and transform negative impulses and reactions into positive ones.
The results are already visible: stress relief, weakening of excessive conscious control, mutual trust, physical freedom. 10 children from 7 to 12 years old made friends and spent 5 interesting days at Women Fund the “Sukhumi”.
The work was carried out with the support of Mtskheta-Mtianeti Regional Hub.
An assistant of the Women Fund "Sukhumi" held meetings with women's mutual assistance groups in Tskaltubo, Vani, Zugdidi, Chokhatauri and Bagdati. In the remaining five municipalities - Terjola, Samtredia, Khoni, Tsalenjikha and Kobuleti - meetings were held by group leaders. The psychologist of the organization attended several meetings and conducted some work with women. In almost all groups, serious cases were identified and ways to solve them were outlined.
The project is implemented with the support the Equality Fund (Canada)
Despite the short working month, Manana Gotsiridze, a psychologist of the Women Fund “Sukhumi”, had an active January. She held a group meeting with women from the village Khurcha (Zugdidi municipality). In addition, 12 individual online consultations were conducted in the regions and 13 individual psychotherapeutic sessions in Kutaisi. The psychologist answered 8 phone calls and helped the beneficiaries to combate emotional stress.
A psychologist worked every day in our rehabilitation center, where women victims and their children stayed for two weeks. There was also a lawyer, a social worker and a teacher who spent interesting and educational hours with the children.
One of the beneficiaries noted: “I feel so good here that I don’t want to leave. I’m glad that now I know more, I’m more informed and I have more motivation to solve my problems... Thank you very much - for 34 years these have been the brightest, warmest and most pleasant days for me.”
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
