Chokhatauri a meeting with local referral entities (services of the City Hall: department for the protection of children's rights, interdepartmental commission, gender equality council of the municipality, representatives of the City Hall in administrative units, as well as kindergarten and school teachers, family doctors). The participants of the meeting were introduced to the guide "Prevention and response to gender-based violence in war and post-war conditions - experience and recommendations of women’s NGOs", which describes the experience of 6 partner organizations of the WAVE network.
Attention was focused on the experience of the Fund “Sukhumi”, which tells that in condition of prolonged conflict, “no war, no peace”, an environment of violent behavior appears when family conflicts and violence against women increase.
Fund "Sukhumi" has successful practices that have received international recognition: public awareness regarding the problem of violence and the introduction of a gender responsive early warning system (GREWS), identification of cases and provision of services, strengthening the rights of women and girls and promoting coordinated actions of local referral entities, launching a digital resource center platform on existing support/assistance services, strengthening institutional mechanisms of gender equality at the municipal level.
The meeting participants noted that the prolonged conflict left its mark on various spheres of public life. According to them, governmental structures, public institutions and civil society organizations are the main actors responsible for the protection of women and girls during and after the war.
Opinions were exchanged regarding the most acute challenges in terms of prevention and effective response to violence against women/domestic violence.
For detailed information about the guide, the participants were given the link: https://wave-network.org/wp.../uploads/Toolkit-Georgian.pdf
Members of the women group of the village Pakhulani - Tsalenjikha municipality discussed the actual issues identified according to the results of the conducted research. Insufficient garbage bins in the village were identified as a problem. The second issue is the lack of fast internet. There is internet in the village, but it is of low quality, therefore the members of the group work to advocate the introduction of such company that will have a quality internet and television package.
In the recommendations of the latest research of the Women Fund “Sukhumi” “Assessment of Effectiveness of the Municipalities’ Preventive Measures to Combat Violence Against Women/Domestic Violence”, an important role is given to the promotion of an effective system of coordination and information exchange between local units responsible for social work.
On the initiative of the Women Fund "Sukhumi", in cooperation with the educational resource center, the health and social protection service, the department for the protection and support of children's rights and the gender equality council, an information exchange meeting was held in Kobuleti Resource Center.
The meeting participants discussed a number of topical issues related to the problems of violence against women/domestic violence, violence prevention, psychosocial and other needs of adolescents and their families.
The meeting showed how important the coordinating role of resource centers with local referal entities, especially with the City Hall services is. Ways to address specific issues identified during the dialogue were outlined.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
Women Support Centers continue, informational meetings with various target groups. The aim of the meeting is to identify the needs of women and local problems. Mobilizers are actively involved in the follow-up process, which includes case study and referral.
In parallel with information meetings, five new cases were identified in Zugdidi, Bagdati, Samtredia, Tsalenjikha and Terjola Women Support Centers during a month. New needs were also identified, which will be advocated together with community activists.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The presentation of the research “Evaluating the Effectiveness of Preventive Measures Implemented By Municipalities Addressing Domestic Violence Against Women” was held in Tsalenjikha with the participation of the City Hall and City Council services.
The report assesses the effectiveness of the implementation of preventive measures by target municipalities (including Tsalenjikha municipality) regarding the issues of violence against women and/or domestic violence and the quality of their cooperation with local referral entities.
The research reflects the challenges and recommendations for both central and local agencies to carry out preventive work more effectively.
The results of the research was interesting for the participants, and the recommendations are very important for planning the future work of the Gender Equality Council.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
The Ministry of Internal Affairs held the final event of the campaign against child marriage, titled "Don't Deprive of childhood." During the meeting, the Department of Human Rights Protection and Investigation Quality Monitoring of the Ministry of Internal Affairs delivered a presentation. The presentation aimed to inform the invited representatives from governmental and non-governmental sectors, as well as local and international organizations, about the measures undertaken within the campaign. Our representatives, Linda Chikhladze and Nino Korinteli, were present at the meeting.
The presentation of the monitoring tool on the evaluation of measures for the prevention of violence against women and in the family was held, organized by the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia and the Council of Europe.
The monitoring tool is based on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Its purpose is to assess the impact of the state's prevention mechanism on issues of violence against women and domestic violence, as well as to identify specific achievements and challenges. The document will assist state agencies in planning and implementing future steps.
The meeting was attended by our representatives, Linda Chikhladze and Nino Korinteli.
Fund "Sukhumi" organized a round table in Terjola, which brought together local referral entities: members of the City Hall Gender Equality Council, representatives of local government, police, health and education.
The invited lawyer acquainted the meeting participants with the referral document, with the duties and functions of specific authorized persons.
The meeting also discussed the situation in terms of facts. Problem identification and victim assistance.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)
“The training format allowed us to talk about the reasons of the problem, when we behave correctly or incorrectly. It is necessary that everyone understands their direct responsibility.
“I would focus on the information received, interesting methods and a good environment during the training”...
This is part of feedback from the training for medical personnel.
The training in Kutaisi was attended by 15 participants from Khoni, Tsalenjikha, Senaki, Chokhatauri and Zugdidi municipalities.
“The role of medical staff in violence prevention and victims protection” - this was the topic of the training, and together with the trainers, the participants actively discussed issues related to violence against women and children...
The training was held within the framework of the project "Digital Resource Center of Services for Violence Victims”.
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 the Equality Fund (Canada)
