The overall goal of the project is to achieve sustainability in scaling up the progress of the national response to gender-based violence (with focus on domestic violence) and its prevention, especially towards women.
The project aims at strengthening national capacity to counteract and prevent gender-based violence (with focus on domestic violence), especially towards women, through increasing effectiveness of existing systems of legal and social support provision to the domestic violence survivors, integration of multi-sectoral response to domestic violence at the regional level; involvement of judges, prosecutors and health specialists in multi-sectoral response to domestic violence; improvement of work with men, who practise violence towards close relatives (male-aggressors); strengthening capacity of non-governmental organisations (further – NGOs) to deal with gender-based and domestic violence issues; raising awareness on gender-based violence (with focus on domestic violence) and shifting public opinion towards zero tolerance on it, especially towards women.
The objectives of the project are:
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Improvement of national legislation on counteracting domestic violence in line with international commitments of the Republic of Belarus, international standards:
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Improvement of practical mechanisms of response to domestic violence;
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Shift of public opinion towards zero tolerance on gender-based violence (with focus on domestic violence).
Expected results are:
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Development of the draft of the Comprehensive Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence in accordance with international recommendations.
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Assessment of the feasibility and readiness of the Republic of Belarus for signing and ratification of Istanbul Convention as an instrument to counteract gender-based violence.
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Strengthening capacity of judges, prosecutors and health specialists to address domestic violence.
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Institutionalization of the model of work with male-aggressors in Minsk, Grodno and Kobrin.
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Ensuring work of national toll-free hotline for survivors of domestic violence as a counselling and referral point for (adult) victims.
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Strengthening capacity of NGOs dealing with gender-based violence (with focus on domestic violence) to be included into state social contracting system for these services.
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Raising public awareness on gender-based violence (with focus on domestic violence), shift of public opinion on the issue, especially towards women.
Key beneficiaries of the project:
Women and girls generally and, in particular, women/girls survivors of domestic violence are direct beneficiaries of the project as they are most vulnerable social and demographic group affected by domestic violence manifestation.
Secondary beneficiaries are practitioners (lawyers, policy officers, judges, social workers, health specialists, NGO service providers) as well as mass media and Belarusian society in general.
Partners and executors:
Executors:
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National executing organisation: Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Belarus
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International organisation: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
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Non-governmental organisations: “Gender Perspectives”, “Belarusian Association of Young Christian Women”
Partners:
Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus, General Prosecutor Office of the Republic of Belarus, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, National Center of Legislation and Legal Research of the Republic of Belarus, Minsk City Executive Committee, Grodno City Executive Committee, Kobrin District Executive Committee.
Geographic coverage:
Project activities will take place on the entire territory of the Republic of Belarus with piloting in Minsk, Kobrin and Grodno.
Project duration:
24 months starting from registration date (2016-2018)
