Preventing Gender Based Sexual Violence against women refugees

ended

Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to affect one in three women globally. In times of conflict the threat significantly increases for women and girls. The dramatic events that unfolded following the invasion of Ukraine forced over 4.5 mil people into displacement in just over a month, making it the largest and fastest refugee movement in Europe since the end of WWII. This unprecedented displacement is unique in that the majority are women and children and highlighted the unpreparedness of NGOs to protect them against GBV. With the aim to prevent and combat all forms of gender-based violence against vulnerable women, the project BSAFE brings together organisations from 3 countries at the forefront of the current refugee crisis, Slovakia, Poland and Czech Republic. It will develop a safety net to prevent all forms of abuse from happening and protect direct or indirect victims of such abuse through an integrated set of activities in 3 key areas: - IMPROVE – build the capacity of 150 frontline professionals to address issues related to inequality and GBV; strengthen prevention responses and consolidate prevention structures through multi agency cooperation. - EMPOWER – inform refugees on SGBV through an awareness-raising campaign and the development of a mobile app (BSAFE4Y), empower 100 volunteers and peers from the refugee community to work as focal points, placing them at the centre of the prevention effort. - INTERVENE – sensitise and educate the public on GBV; inform and stimulate bystanders into action, encouraging both the willingness to intervene and the likelihood of intervention in the presence of sexual violence or harassment. BSAFE is fully in-line with the priorities of the Daphne II Programme and contributes to the implementation of the EC “A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025”, and its core principle expressed in Article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. It is also fully in synergy with the Istanbul Convention.