„BUILDING OF CAPACITY II“

supported by the OAQ Foundation

The project “Building of Capacity II” was an upgrade of the project that was implemented in 2009, because it involves the development of a multidisciplinary approach between the 63 signatories to the Agreement on Cooperation and the Protocol on Cooperation through five-day trainings and two months meetings.

The project included all the municipalities of the Eastern Herzegovina (Trebinje, Ljubinje, Gacko, Nevesinje, Bileća and Berkovići).

The aim of the project was to provide a multidisciplinary approach to combating domestic violence and providing adequate support to victims of domestic violence in the Eastern Herzegovina, as well as the establishment of counseling centers for women in order to educate them in the area of health education and increasing worries about their own health, but also work with them through self-help groups in order to build their own capacities.

Thanks to the series of three five-day training programs that were successfully implemented in Neum for 84 people, according to the planned project, cooperation between professionals from government and NGOs sectors in the Eastern Herzegovina has improved, on the one hand by increasing the level of knowledge and skills on the topic of domestic violence and work with victims and on the other hand the improvement of mutual cooperation. Education that was held was very important for the whole region because except for informative and educational nature the aim also was sensitization of the participants and their mutual socialization in order they would tomorrow achieve co-operation more easily because it is necessary to emphasize that work and synchronized multi-disciplinary approach of the places where the violence was reported is very important (NGOs, police, the Health Center, Centers for Social Work, Prosecutor’s office and Courts with the support of schools and kindergartens. Given that some institutions work directly with victims and therefore have more contact with them, such as the Police, Centre for Social Welfare, the court in relation to schools, kindergartens and the media, so we have included greater number of people institutions uključuli increasing number of people from these institutions in this education. For these reasons the group classification was done, and , so that the first group was made of representatives from the police and those who worked directly with victims, another group composed of representatives of the judiciary, prosecution and public health (community health workers doctors-gynecologists and doctors from service of emergency ambulance services and nurses), and third group was composed of representatives from schools, NGOs, media and kindergartens. At the end of training all participants received certificates and book “Ethics of power” by Edita Ostojic and that was just meant for professionals who worked with cases of violence against women and children,in this job. As a result of such improved multi-disciplinary approach is increment of the confidence of victims in the work of institutions and more adequate support for them, which contributed to increment of the number of reports of domestic violence.

During this period, 18 meetings were held, and every other month at a meeting in each of the six municipalities of the Eastern Herzegovina (Trebinje, Ljubinje, Nevesinje, Bileća, Berkovići and Gacko),with the purpose of mutual reporting of the work on this topic, sharing experiences, learned lessons and arrangements for joint action.

In counseling for women in order to educate them in the health area, the doctor(female) normally works on Saturdays from 14-18 o’clock, the advice was sought by a total of 49 women victims of domestic violence. These women themselves directly asked for advice from doctor by personally coming to office in this period. Some of them first contacted us by telephone and then in person while some of them came at the initiative of friends or close relatives. The most common information that women seeked were information on the thyroid gland, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the reproductive organs and menopause.

In the second half of 2010 57 women searched help in the counselings for victims of domestic violence, 38 of them by personal contact, 19 of them via SOS phone. As our organization is not organized to provide free legal aid,so we have established close cooperation with a free legal service that is opened by the Ministry of Justice of Republic of Srpska in our city and to which we direct our clients.

In about 90% of cases there are more forms of violenceat the same time (psychological, physical and economic). In most cases, we cooperate with the police, social services centers, prosecutors, school and kindergartens. Prosecutor’s office launched the initiative for us to include our organization in more difficult cases. Since there is still no safe house for the region, victims often give up on going to the Shelter home, which are located over 350 km from their environments, which poses an obstacle to starting the job, school, etc. so that they remain in abusive families which sometimes automatically represents endangering their lives.

“ELECTIONS 2010 – REAL POSITION OF WOMEN IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA“

supported by Kvinna till Kvinna

During 2010 our organization has conducted activities in the direction of providing support to all women politicians in the electoral unit 6 and the activities of contribution towards the creation of a unique women’s lobby on the level of Electoral unit 6 Our project goals were:

1.Encouragement and empowerment of women politicians from the area of ​​Electoral unit 6

2. Contribution to the creation of a unified women’s lobby on the level of Electoral unit 6

Initially, we organized a survey of women, 600 of them, of whom 100 women politicians and 500 women voters of the Electoral unit 6, based on that on one hand we have gained the the expectations of women politicians of women voters and on the other hand the expectations of women voters of women politicians. After that, we held seven round tables in the Eastern Herzegovina, one in each municipality, except in Trebinje, where we held two round tables, at the beginning and the end of the campaign. During this campaign we conducted 230 posters that we pasted in all municipalities of the Eastern Herzegovina. During the campaign the radio programs were held, before and after general analysis of the data, as well as after the held elections.

During the project, 6 workshops were held for women politicians from all of 13 political parties of the Electoral unit 6, on the topics “Public speaking and relations with the media,” “where we prepared politicians(women) for public performance and we emphasized the importance of relations with media . While holding these workshops it was noted the inexperience of women politicians,and many of them admitted that they had participateed for the first time in a workshop on this topic. What is most frightening is their unawareness of their ignorance and party “blindness”, where they themselves advocate voting for their municipal leaders within the party, not for themselves. During conversations with them we got the data that at the moment of conducting these training programs none of them had their own programs and plans for lobbying women voters. On our proposal, the ones that are on the lists prepared their programs and promotional materials that we have divided during a street event, which was preceded training on “Lobbying, advocacy and building of our own campaigns,” which we held in Tebinje, and 28 women who were on the Election list of a total of 102 who are on the lists.

After held workshops / trainings, we were surprised by the number of women who have found themselves on the lists, without any political experience, and often without any recognition. Practically we have come to the view that this was done with the intent they obtain the minimum number of votes-partly because of their political inexperience, and partly because nobody knows them at any base, while all men who were on the list were mostly perennial politicians that stood out either through a profession or authority.

The analysis of election results of previous years and in 2010 gave us the data that now minimum quotas for representation of the other gender in these elections are more respected than any previous year (so the increase of women on the list is obvious), and that these rules are respected only just before the elections while after the elections their number decreases. Evidence of this is these general elections and the fact that in this electoral unit no woman was elected. We can tell that the status of women politicians from the Electoral unit 6 is very difficult and politicians (women) are faced with rejection by fellow politicians as well as from women voters.

“RESEARCH ON THE NEEDS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SAFE HOUSE IN THE EAST HERZEGOVINA“

supported by UNIFEM

The main objective of this project was to investigate the need for establishing shelters to accommodate victims of domestic violence in the Eastern Herzegovina, based on which we could documentary require funding of a ongoing costs of the safe house by the Government of Republic of Srpska and the municipalities of the Eastern Herzegovina. Our organization with the help of the municipality of Berkovići has the ability to completely build this facility and to establish the safe house, which would greatly encourage victims of domestic violence to report violence against them and facilitate their exit from the vicious circle of violence. On the other hand this would be a warning for offenders, because it would make them know the intention of the state to help the victims and that victims now have an alternative.

As was the goal of this project, we conducted a survey on the need for Safe house for accommodation of victims of domestic violence in the Eastern Herzegovina. Research has proved the need for building a Safe house at the Eastern Herzegovina. We came up with data, based on the research, that the necessary capacity would be based on the standards of EU , seven beds for adults, and often the woman victim has two to three children, then we would need a total capacity was 20 beds.

The study included semi-structured interviews with professionals from all institutions, police, social welfare centers, health centers, public prosecutors’ offices, municipalities, nurseries, primary and secondary schools, the media and some NGOs in the area of the Eastern Herzegovina. In addition to their semi-structured interviews, the data from institutions that work directly with victims of domestic violence were used.

Activities that are implemented in this project are aimed at preventing violence against women and girls, because the fact is that there is a need for establishment of Safe house for accommodation of victims of domestic violence and that the project has a component of cooperation with local governmental institutions, including educational institutions(all kindergartens, primary and high schools) from the Eastern Herzegovina, and thus it acts as a prevention. On one hand, the inclusion of governmental and nongovernmental sectors in order to provide greater support to victims of domestic violence acts as a warning to offenders that not to continue to commit violence. On the other hand, all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in the Eastern Herzegovina are our partners as well, because they are signatories of the Agreement on cooperation in the fight against domestic violence and they exchange all information with their students / children.

Mainly women and children victims of domestic violence and all institutions and organizations that deal with issues of domestic violence benefit from the project, because in the future they will have where to accommodate the victims.

In this project we had no partners for research, but we had an agreement on cooperation with all relevant institutions in the Eastern Herzegovina, such as police, social work centers, health centers and the prosecutor’s office in order to combat domestic violence and from whom we received full support in realization of this research.

“WOMEN’S ACTIVISM-OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES”

supported by Filia die frauenstiftungt

The project “Women’s Activism – Opportunities and Challenges” is the project that was implemented partly in 2010, and mostly during 2011.

The long term goal is a powerful women’s lobby in Bosnia and Herzegovina which affects the improvement of the status of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the family and in the society.

Short-term goal of this project is strengthening women’s activism in the Eastern Herzegovina, precisely in its six municipalities (Trebinje, Ljubinje, Gacko, Neversinje, Bileca and Berkovići).

Activities that were implemented under this project included the preparation and production of brochures containing basic information on women’s activism, which should be known by each girl with ht goal of their own awakening and building self-awareness about the needs of expansion and participation in women’s activism, which we printed and shared 100 pieces to young girls in each municipality. In the beginning of 2011 the one-day conference on the theme “Women’s activism-Opportunities and Challenges” will be held, which will bring together 60 girls from six municipalities, with a goal to involve them and to make them act in the Eastern Herzegovina, and to create interconnection and networking between them. Partners who helped us and that we will also be of assistance in the implementation of this project during 2011 are colleges, high schools, youth organizations and women’s political assets that act in these municipalities.

„16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM“

Also this year in the period of 25th November to 10th December 2010 our organization, the Women’s Centre Trebinje marked “16 days of activism”, during which it conducted street events and round tables in each municipality in the Eastern Herzegovina (Trebinje, Ljubinje, Bileca, Gacko, Nevesinje and Berkovići) with the aim of calling attention to the situation of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina , the Republic of Srpska and the Eastern Herzegovina. In Trebinje, beside street event a round table on “Sixteen Days of Activism Then and Now” was held, supported by the Gender Centre of Republic of Srpska.

During the street event that was held at East Herzegovinian municipalities shared the pamphlets with a clear message against domestic violence were shared. During these sixteen days of activism in order to point further to the bad position of women in the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have focused on the activities supported by Kvinna till Kvinna, OAK Foundation and Gender Centre in order to be present in every municipality in the Eastern Herzegovina, and discuss it at all levels(meetings with institutions, street events, round tables).

Also we used the round tables to offer a working version of the open letter, which was supposed to be supported and signed by all signatories to the Agreement on cooperation, 63 of them, with our organization on the top, to address the President of the Republic of Srpska, Mr. Milorad Dodik, with the goal to more adequately take care of persons treated for alcoholism, drug addiction and mental patients (letter attached). This problem is delegated to our initiative, on the basis of the problems reported by signers, because when we talk about family violence, many abusers need treatment for alcoholism, and because of the lack of adequate facilities with sufficient capacity such measures are often not imposed, and if they are imposed they are not conducted. Our initiative has great support from our partners, the signatories of the Agreement on cooperation.