vol 8

IMPLEMENTING NORMS,CHANGING MINDS

REGIONAL PROGRAMME LAUNCHES A STUDY ON INTERSECTIONALAPPROACHES TO ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN THEWESTERN BALKANS AND TURKEY

The EU–UN WomenRegionalProgramme,‘ImplementingNorms, ChangingMinds’, haspublished a newresearch report, ‘AThousand Ways ToSolve OurProblems’: Ananalysis of existingViolence AgainstWomen and Girls(VAWG)approaches forminoritized womenand girls in theWestern Balkans

and Turkey. The study was conducted byImkaan, a second-tier women’s organizationdedicated to addressing violence against Blackand minoritized women and girls. The reporthighlights the main challenges that ‘by and for’women’s organizations in the region face in

This Programme is fundedby the European Union

incorporating an intersectional approach, aswell as in monitoring and reporting onIstanbul Convention implementation,monitoring and reporting to CEDAW, andengaging with the EU accession process.

As part of the study, Imkaan interviewedrepresentatives from 18 ‘by and for’organizations across the Western Balkansand Turkey. The majority of these groups areled by minority women – Roma, Egyptian andAshkali women, women with disabilities,LGBTQI women and rural women. Withinthese organizations, the vision, mission andways of working – and consequently theirstrategies for combating violence againstwomen and girls – are framed by the needsand unique experiences of minority women.

This research paper sets out the scenario androad map for the establishment of a regionalexpert working group on intersectional andmultiple forms of discrimination in thecontext of violence against women and girlsacross the region. See the report

YOUNG MEN HELP TO FIGHTEARLY MARRIAGES IN KOSOVO’SMINORITY COMMUNITIESQerim Emini, a 25-year-old man from the Ashkalicommunity in Lipljan, Kosovo recently became avolunteer for a door-to-door campaign to prevent earlymarriages in minority communities. Thanks to theinitiative, these communities are learning about thedetrimental effects of early-marriage, as well as themechanisms for preventing violence against women.Read the story .

vol 8IMPLEMENTING NORMS, CHANGING MINDS

NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF CIVIL SOCIETYNETWORKS FOR ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

A new research report on increasing the accessibility ofcivil society networks, especially for women fromminority and disadvantaged groups, has been releasedby Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE), underthe EU–UN Women regional programme, ‘ImplementingNorms, Changing Minds’.

Produced as part of a project to support theestablishment and strengthening of regional platformsof civil society organizations, the report offers anoverview of the current situation regarding theaccessibility of networks in Albania, Bosnia andHerzegovina, Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.

The study, prepared by the Gender AllianceDevelopment Centre and the Albanian WomenEmpowerment Network, both WAVE members, showsthat networks can be made more accessible to womenfrom minorities and/or disadvantaged groups by eithertailoring their access to services according to theneeds of these groups or by partnering withorganizations that specifically work with them. Readthe report :

Representatives of civil society organizationsand other institutions tasked with combatingviolence against women and girls in Serbia,met in Belgrade to review the draft of a‘shadow report’ on the implementation of theIstanbul Convention in the country.

The draft report was prepared by the SOSVojvodina Network which led a coalition ofcivil society organizations as part of the EU-UN Women regional programme“Implementing Norms, Changing Minds”.Presented by gender activists andresearchers, the draft report covers relevantfields including the principle of equality andnon-discrimination and general obligations toprevention, protection and support, migrationand asylum, substantive criminal law, as wellas integration policy and data collection. Thepresentation was followed by a constructivedebate which resulted in recommendations.on how the draft report can be improved.

CIVIL SOCIETY REVIEWSIMPLEMENTATION OF THEISTANBUL CONVENTION INSERBIA

Contact: Yolanda Iriarte, Regional Programme Manager,Implementing Norms, Changing MindsEmail: eca.evawproject@unwomen.orgWeb: http://eca.unwomen.orgFacebook: www.facebook.com/unwomeneuropecentralasiaTwitter: www.twitter.com/unwomeneca#changingmindstoEVAW

vol 8IMPLEMENTING NORMS, CHANGING MINDS

“ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OFWOMEN IS ESSENTIAL FORPREVENTING VIOLENCE”Mevlida Mehanović is the president of ‘Podrinjka’, arecently established association working toeconomically and socially empower returnee womenin Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a smallmunicipality located on the eastern border withSerbia. A returnee herself, Ms. Mehanović found hercalling in the village of Skelani, where she is helpingother returnee women to build a new and better lifefollowing the war.

This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of theEuropean Union. The contents of this publication are the soleresponsibility of

andcan in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

“THE RATIFICATION OF THEISTANBUL CONVENTION HAS BEENCRUCIAL FOR OUR WORK ONENDING VIOLENCE AGAINSTWOMEN”Maja Balsha is a social worker specializing inpsychosocial work. She is currently working asproject coordinator at the NGO, HERA, a partner ofthe EU–UN Women regional programme,‘Implementing Norms, Changing Minds’.

VIDEOThe European Union and UN Women are partneringwith civil society organizations to end gender-baseddiscrimination and violence against women in theWestern Balkans and Turkey. Thanks to ourprogramme, over 250 organizations are betterequipped to monitor and report on human rights legalinstruments; over 1,500 law enforcement and serviceproviders are being trained and 3,500 women,including minority women, have gained a betterunderstanding of their rights, and of how to accessavailable services when facing violence. Check ourlatest video for more information.