RESILIA: Resilient Mental Health and Empowerment for Migrant Women in Vulnerable Contexts

ongoing

The RESILIA (Resilient Mental Health and Empowerment for migrant and displaced women in Vulnerable Contexts) tackles the mental health challenges faced by migrant and displaced women in vulnerable situations, including survivors of human trafficking and of violence as well as refugees and asylum seekers. Operating from Portugal, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria, the project adopts trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and gender-responsive approaches to address the specific needs of these women. RESILIA’s primary objective is to equip EU Member States with evidence-based knowledge, tools, and scalable practices to improve mental health policies and systems. By addressing structural barriers, stigma, and discrimination, the project promotes inclusive and prevention-oriented frameworks aligned with EU strategies. The project combines participatory research, co-creation, and peer-to-peer engagement to drive systemic change. Key actions include A) Knowledge and Literacy Improvement Conducting data collection and needs assessments across the five countries and more to identify barriers and inform policy. Awareness campaigns target general audiences, advocates, and policymakers to reduce stigma and highlight the mental health needs of migrant and displaced women. B)Training and Capacity Building Implementing training programs and capacity-building sessions for mental health professionals, social workers, and outreach workers to enhance trauma-informed practices through innovative online basis and available for free. C)Empowerment and Peer Support: Engaging survivors through structured psychological support sessions, empowerment initiatives, and the creation of self-support networks. D)Advocacy and Policy Recommendations: Developing evidence-based toolkits, reports, and frameworks to improve trauma-informed mental health care. E) Raise awareness campaigns targeting policy makers, professionals, wider audiences and the target group itself to improve literacy.