Violence against women is a deeply troubling and pervasive issue that continues to afflict our society. This multifaceted problem manifestsin various forms, including physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, and it knows no boundaries of age, race, or socioeconomic status. It shatters lives and perpetuates a cycle of suffering, one that demands our collective attention and action. Being able to spot the toxic relationships and power dynamics underlying the phenomenon of gender-based violence represents the first, necessary step to break the cycle of violence.
WHAT ARE WE AIMING FOR?
Through the Mariposa project, we offer online tools designed to support women impacted by gender-based violence in recognizing and addressing detrimental situations they may been tangled in. Our goal is to help them create personalized life plans and connect them with appropriate professional assistance. Concurrently, we seek to provide guidance to peers and advocates in promoting the empowerment of women affected by gender-based violence. This involves establishing support networks and launching initiatives to prevent and combat gender-based violence.
WHAT ACTIONS OR STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN UP TO THIS POINT?
1. Two online interactive tools that use the symbol work methodology have been designed and created:
“ME and My Resources” dedicated to aiding women who have experienced gender-based violence to identify unhealthy dynamics and seek support.
“EmpowerME”, that focuses on empowering and providingself-help for these women to set objectives and develop a future life plan.
Once the two online tools had been completed and translated, we organized pilot sessions in each partner country to test them with women impacted by gender-based violence and gathered their valuable feedback and perspectives on the instruments.
2. Subsequently, two guides were developed:
A Guide for Victim Empowernment by Peer to Peer Support, providing guidance on how to empower women who have experienced gender-based violence while giving useful advice on possible challenges and obstacles to avoid.
A Guide in Multiplication and Networking Strategies, for anyone who wants to build stable networks, plan a campaign and multiply their messages.
The tools and guides were the outcome of the collaborative efforts of all project partners, who met in March in Bucharest and in September in Palermo 2023 to discuss and exchange their experiences in testing and utilizing the tools and guides. All the resources are available in English, Spanish, Greek, Italian, French, German and Romanian.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Final events will be organized in Spain, Greece, Italy, Romania, France and Austria. Stay tuned for updates!
If you want to take part to our project or learnmore about the Mariposa resources – contact us!
To learn more about the project, you can alsovisit our Project Website …
2nd Newsletter MARIPOSA_EN
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
