The gender Council of Kobuleti municipality, organized a round table on "Prevention of violence and protection of violence victims, social cooperation and referencing" in partnership with the Fund "Sukhumi" and the participation of governmental structures and social institutions. The cases of violence against women and domestic violence were discussed. The guests invited by the Fund "Sukhumi" - representatives of Senaki municipality shared their experience with their colleagues from Kobuleti in the field of children’s rights protection.

The participants of the meeting analyzed the situation in terms of violence and identified the prospects for social cooperation.

The Fund "Sukhumi" has 10 Women Support Centers in Terjola, Vani, Tkibuli, Bagdati, Chokhatauri, Samtredia, Kobuleti, Zugdidi, Senaki, Tsalenjikha municipalities. A two-day workshop was held for the updated staff of mobilizers. All discussed topics were necessary and relevant: selecting target groups, working with the audience, identifying problems, filling in a victim questionnaire and responding to it, conducting advocacy campaign, legal mechanisms for victim support, working with local governments, municipal programs and state services for violence prevention and victim assistance, informing, self-presentation, facilitation and moderation.

“The work of the mobilizer seemed difficult to me, but now I already know how to go step by step. The workshop showed me the sequence of the process”, mentioned one of the mobilizers at the end of the workshop.

One of the Women's Support Centers of the Fund "Sukhumi" has been actively working in Kobuleti during a year. The center will be even more actively involved in the new project "Strengthening the Women's Rights in Western Georgia". On April 19, the presentation of the project was held in Kobuleti. The project is carried out in 10 municipalities of Western Georgia and aims to identify the problems of violence against women and prevent, strengthen families, and establish a non-violent culture in society.

The meeting was attended by members of the gender council of the municipality, representatives of the social service, the department for children’s rights protection and support, civil activists, as well as the members of the Supreme Council of Ajara Pati Khalvashi and Tsotne Ananidze.

“Strengthening the Women’s Rights in Western Georgia” - Fund “Sukhumi” has started a new stage of this project… with changes, new directions.

The project area - four regions of Western Georgia: Imereti, Samegrelo, Guria and Ajara. The work will be carried out in the following 10 municipalities: Vani, Bagdati, Samtredia, Tkibuli, Terjola, Senaki, Tsalenjikha, Zugdidi, Chokhatauri, Kobuleti.

One of the innovations is that, for the first time, within the framework of the project, Women Support Centers are being created in Vani, Bagdati, Samtredia, Tkibuli and Chokhatauri.

The Fund "Sukhumi" has its own representatives who will work locally to strengthen women and protect their rights, they will try to advocate and solve problems through a gender-responsive system. The aim of the project is prevention of domestic violence in cooperation and coordination with local governments.

This is the first successful result of cooperation with Kobuleti local self-government!

It all started like this:

The Fund "Sukhumi" has been cooperating with the Gender Equality Councils of local self-governments since the day of their creation. Kobuleti municipality was included in this list in 2019. It was the only one, out of 11 municipalities, that did not have a single program to assist violence victims.

The advocacy and monitoring group and Tbilisi representative office of the Fund "Sukhumi" started active work to develop the program.