Press release No.: 3

Date: 19. 12. 2019

Subject: Info days – STEP4GBV (Support, training, exchange practices for Gender-Based Violence)

“It is important to talk about domestic violence”

On 25 November – 18 December 2019, five (5) info days were held within the framework of the EU-funded project STEP4GBV. The aim of the info days was to inform the public about the project and its outcomes and results, while raising awareness about gender-based violence (GBV).

The project brings together 7 partner organisations from Cyprus, Italy, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria (i.e. The Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family, Enoros Consulting Ltd, the Cyprus Police, the Centro Italiano per la Promozione della Mediazione, the Association Salvamamme, Diaconia and the Demetra Association), with experience in policies and actions which aim at combating GBV.

Each of these organizations organized an event aiming to share information about the project. One info day was held in each city of the partners’ organisations, i.e. Nicosia, Prague, Milan, Rome, and Burgas.

The first info day was organized by Salvamamme in Rome (Italy) on the 25^th November 2019, with the participation the State Police. On the 28^th November 2019, Diaconia from the Czech Republic held a workshop (round table) with government stakeholders, i.e. probation and mediation workers and workers from the Department of Social and Legal Protection of Children, as well as a theatrical performance featuring domestic violence.

The info day in Bulgaria was organised by Demetra Association which realised a media campaign and an Open Day, as well as a round table with key-stakeholders. The “Open doors day” took place in SARC /Sexual Assault Referal Centre on the 5^th December 2019, with the attendance of 16 participants. The Round table with key stakeholders took place at the “Center for prevention of violence and crime” on the 10^th December 2019. In total 25 key-stakeholders attended the round table. The key topic of discussion was domestic violence. Moreover, Demetra Association organised a media campaign during which they disseminate the project in the media.

On December 5, 2019, a documentary screening of “Un altro me” documentary was organized by CIPM in Milan (Italy), as well as a roundtable on Gender-Based violence and violence in relationships with stakeholders of public institutions, victims’ support centres, police, perpetrators’ programmes.

The last info day was organised along with the final project conference in Cyprus. The meeting was organised by the Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (SPAVO) in Nicosia, while representatives of Cyprus police, ENOROS consulting ltd, CIPM, and Salvamamme participated. During the conference, the participants received information about the project, its activities, results, outputs and deliverables; were informed about the implementation of psycho-educational and/or therapeutic sessions held in Cyprus, Italy, Bulgaria and Czech Republic; and were also informed about the training seminars realized by the Cyprus Police.

END

• STEP4GBV project started in January 2018 and ends on December 2019. The coordinator of the project is the Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (APHVF) in Cyprus and the partners are Enoros consuling Ltd in Cyprus, Centro Italiano per la Promozione della Mediazione in Italy, Cyprus police in Cyprus, Diaconia of the ECCB The Centre of Christian help in Prague in Czech Republic, Ass. I Diritti Civili nel 2000-Salvabebè/Salvamamme in Italy and Association Demetra in Bulgary.
• More information and updates of the project can be found at: https://www.domviolence.org.cy/STEP4GBV/ & FB: https://www.facebook.com/STEP4GBV/

• To download the press release, click here: Press release No3_web