Today, July 1, 2020, the third partnership meeting was held within the project How Expertise Leads to Prevention, Learning, Identification, Networking and Ending Gender Based Violence (HELPLINE) funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship program of the European Union. The main goal of the project is to provide protection and support to women victims of gender-based violence by laying the foundations for the establishment of a free and anonymous telephone line for victims that would be anonymous and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, i.e. lines that comply with the standards of the Istanbul Convention.

The partner meeting brought together representatives of partner organizations in the project, which are, in addition to the project leader, the BaBe association Be Active. Be Emancipated., the Association for Support to Victims and Witnesses, the Office for Gender Equality of the Republic of Croatia, the Police Academy and the Judicial Academy.

The meeting introduced the new project manager, discussed the project's implemented activities to date, and discussed upcoming activities. The project team addressed the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic poses for maintaining the activities planned by the project, and how these challenges can be successfully overcome.

Recently, a lot has been said in the public space about women and in the name of women. Many of these messages fill us with chills and remind us that the fight for the equal position of women in society is far from over.

Croatia has officially agreed to respect and advance international human rights standards, but this agreement is accompanied by one big BUT. It is precisely this BUT that underlies messages that deny women dignity, the right to choose, and the right to decide about their own lives and bodies. Thanks to this "fist in the pocket," sexual violence persists as part of fan and nationalist folklore. Thanks to this, politicians in their campaigns easily put the well-being and needs of women in the background - in the name of "life."

What about women's lives? This question seems crucial in the context of the upcoming elections, but also of the "shadow pandemic" that threatens the lives of women around the world. We want political actors to finally sincerely take responsibility for protecting women's human rights and for women's voices to become decisive in issues of reproductive health and abortion rights. We refuse to cede our right to choose to family members. We no longer want to listen to the belittling of men who weigh the trauma of raped women and evaluate women's abilities and experiences, without seeing their own privileges.

Therefore, in the run-up to the parliamentary elections, we demand that the lives of women become a permanent reference point for the future government in the development and implementation of public policies, and not a passing "topic of the day" used to fulfill official obligations. We demand respect and a life free from violence. We demand our rights, without BUT.

Dana 20. svibnja 2020. godine udruga B.a.B.e. potpisala je ugovor o dodjeli bespovratnih sredstava u sklopu poziva "Širenje mreže socijalnih usluga u zajednici - Faza I". Novi projekt udruge B.a.B.e. zove se "Savjetom i razgovorom protiv nasilja i socijalne isključenosti", a financiran je sredstvima iz Europskog socijalnog fonda. 

Advice and conversation against violence and social exclusion projekt je čiji je cilj pomoći ženama žrtvama nasilja u obitelji. Nositeljica projekta je udruga B.a.B.e. Budi aktivna. Budi emancipiran., a u provedbi sudjeluju i partneri Centar za socijalnu skrb Županja, Centar za socijalnu skrb Vinkovci, Centar za socijalnu skrb Sisak, Centar za socijalnu skrb Novska, Volonterski centar Vukovarsko-srijemske županije.

Why is this project important?
By ensuring regional availability of legal and psychosocial counseling services for victims of domestic violence, we strive to contribute to the suppression of domestic violence and violence against women, to the improvement of the social inclusion of women victims of violence and the quality of social services for this vulnerable group. In addition to direct work with victims and the professionals who provide them with support, project activities also include raising public awareness of the social problem of domestic violence and the needs of women who experience violence. By changing the attitudes of all members of society on this problem, we contribute in the long term to improving the social position of women and protecting their human rights.

What are we doing within the project?

• We provide direct and free legal counseling and psychosocial support services to women victims of violence in the Sisak-Moslavina and Vukovar-Srijem counties,
• Pružamo pravne informacije i podršku žrtvama u cijeloj Hrvatskoj putem besplatne telefonske linije i online info pulta,
• We are conducting an analysis of the existing system of support for victims of domestic violence in social welfare centers and civil society organizations.
• By implementing specialized training, we strengthen the capacities of employees of social welfare centers and civil society stakeholders to provide social services to women victims of domestic violence,
• We organize public events and create media content with the aim of raising public awareness about the problem of domestic violence.

June 1, 2020 is the deadline for NGOs to apply for consultative status with Economic and Social Council of the United Nations - ECOSOC.

ECOSOC is the central body of the United Nations for discussions, adoption of guidelines and recommendations, and coordination of UN activities in the field of economic, social and related aspects of global development policies, as well as human rights and fundamental freedoms.

International, regional, subregional and domestic civil society organizations can apply for consultative status.

As of April 2020, 5,451 non-governmental organizations had achieved consultative status with ECOSOC, and one of them is BaBe Budi Aktivna. Budi Emancipiran. 

You can find more information about how to apply here. 

WAVE Network is a European network of women's organizations focused on eliminating violence against women and children. Founded in 1994, it currently has more than 150 members, including the BaBe association. Step Up! The campaign is a European-level campaign of the WAVE Network, and is dedicated to promoting ways to stop violence against women, raising awareness about the problem, and protecting victims of violence against women and girls.

For the third year in a row, WAVE is looking for a special artistic motif to be printed on their bagsIf you are a female graphic artist who is interested in creating or already creating socially engaged art, while also trying to initiate positive change in society, we would like to invite you to participate in this call!

We invite you to imagine and present your vision and interpretation of an inspiring woman, a moment in her everyday life, her heroic moments...or whatever you find inspiring in a woman's life for artistic representation!

Your application should consist of:

• of your work/artwork, sent in pdf form (in case of multiple submissions by the same artist, send them as separate pdf files), which is suitable for monochrome screen printing technique (resolution 300 dpi) on campaign@wave-network.org
• short biographies of the author; contact information and relevant links to social networks or pages where your work is promoted (Instagram, Facebook, website, etc.);
• scanned short statements in which you allow the WAVE Network to use your work as a motif on a canvas bag for 2020 and promotion through the WAVE Network and StepUp! campaign in 2020/21. year. Your rights as an artist are fully respected, and your intellectual property is protected. There is no age limit for this invitation, however, applicants under 18 years of age should also submit a written consent signed by their parents or guardians.

Selected work:

• will be awarded a cash prize of 300 euros;
• it will be printed as a motif on the canvas bags of the WAVE Network for the year 2020 and will be shared and promoted through the WAVE Network channel;
• The author of the work will receive 10 copies of a canvas bag with a printed motif.

The call is open to female artists, from May 1 to July 15, 2020.

Step Up! campaign and WAVE Network will announce the selected artist and the winning motif until August 31, 2020.

Good luck everyone!

Contact: office@wave-network.org

Website: https://www.wave-network.org/

Nasilje nad ženama ostaje velika prijetnja za globalno javno zdravlje i zdravlje žena i tijekom izvanrednih okolnosti

• Nasilje nad ženama vrlo je rasprostranjeno. Nasilje u intimnim vezama najčešći je oblik nasilja.
  • Svaka treća žena u svijetu iskusila je fizičko ili seksualno nasilje od strane intimnog partnera ili seksualno nasilje od strane bilo kojeg počinitelja tijekom svog života.
  • Nasilje nad ženama često se povećava tijekom izvanrednih situacija, uključujući epidemije. Žene koje su izmještene, izbjeglice ili žive u sukobima pogođenim područjima posebno su ranjive.
  • Unatoč nedostatku podataka, izvješća iz Kine, Ujedinjenog Kraljevstva, Sjedinjenih Amerčkih Država i drugih zemalja upućuju na povećanje slučajeva obiteljskog nasilja od izbijanja COVID-19 zaraze. [1] [2]
    • Prema jednom izvješću, broj slučajeva obiteljskog nasilja prijavljenih policijskoj postaji Jingzhou, u gradu provincije Hubei, utrostručio se u veljači 2020. u usporedbi s tim razdobljem u prethodnoj godini.[3]
    • Zdravstvene posljedice nasilja, posebice obiteljskog ili u intimnim vezama, na žene i njihovu djecu su značajne. Nasilje nad ženama može uzrokovati ozljede i ozbiljne probleme vezane uz fizičko, psihičko, spolno i reproduktivno zdravlje, uključujući spolno prenosive infekcije, HIV i neplaniranu trudnoću.

U posljednje vrijeme svjedočimo kako se životi oko nas, pa i naši vlastiti, iznenadno i drastično mijenjaju. Neki/e od nas preko noći su prisiljeni/e napustiti svoje domove, neki/e obolijevaju, neki/e su izgubili/e posao ili očekuju taj ishod promatrajući tijek krize, neki/e ostaju bez podrške okoline koja se postupno zatvara u sebe i postaju ranjivi na pokušaje zloupotrebe situacije. Globalni utjecaj pandemije već sada za mnoge znači siromaštvo i glad, koje su tek naznaka dugoročnih posljedica. Najugroženiji/e su oni/e koji/e su već obespravljeni/e, koji/e ne raspolažu "zalihama" i nemaju pristup medicinskim i socijalnim uslugama.

Na temelju Odluke o organizaciji rada centara za socijalnu skrb i pružatelja usluga socijalne skrbi za vrijeme trajanja epidemije bolesti COVID-19, uzrokovane virusom SARS-CoV-2, koju je Ministarstvo za demografiju, obitelj, mlade i socijalnu politiku donijelo 19. ožujka 2020. godine, udruga B.a.B.e. Budi aktivna. Budi emancipiran. upućuje sve građane/ke i korisnike/ce da koriste elektroničke puteve komunikacije i to na:

telefon: 01 4663 666 i 0800 200 144,

fax: 01 4662 666

e-mail: babe@babe.hr

Safe House of Vukovar-Srijem County

Telefon: 032 414 910 i 098 9824 641

e-mail: b.a.b.e@vu.t-com.hr

Wanted second generation WAVES[1] young ambassadors.

Since October 2018, WAVE has been supported by young ambassadors Step Up! a campaign to mobilize and encourage young people to raise awareness about human rights violations, including violence against women and girls.

Do you want to be part of an aware, open and critical peer group that is passionate about women's rights, women's and girls' empowerment and feminism? The WAVE network is looking for young and committed activists and invites them to become the second generation of young ambassadors for WAVE StepUp! campaign. StepUp! campaign is a European project of the WAVE Network that aims to increase efforts to prevent violence against women, raise awareness of this problem and protect victims who have survived violence. 

The group will consist of up to 10 young people from countries participating in the campaign.

You:

• you are between 18 and 27 years old and have excellent English skills;
• you are aware of the scale of the problem of violence against women and girls;
• you are willing, as a volunteer, to actively engage and collaborate with a group of peers from across Europe for the next 2 years;
• you are willing to develop your skills and gain experience working in the field of women's human rights;
• Are you willing to create content and help us spread important messages among young people?

Tasks and responsibilities of a young WAVE ambassador:

• Contribute to the strategic development and practical implementation of the Step Up! campaign
• Actively participate in online group meetings (every 2 months)
• Participate in online trainings and workshops
• To propose ideas, solutions and activities related to the inclusion of young people in the promotion of non-violence
• Propose and prepare content for social networks (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) which will then be published in accordance with the social media management strategy
• Regular communication with coordinators to ensure coordination of actions
• The duration of the engagement is a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 24 months.
• The expected commitment is one to two hours per week. If there is a need for a longer commitment, this will be agreed in advance in accordance with the ambassador's capabilities.
• The role of the young ambassador is unpaid, but it offers enough opportunities to develop skills, acquire new knowledge and develop activist thinking.

Although it may seem so at first glance, the listed duties are not exhaustive.

We offer you a unique experience to continue strengthening the platform created by the first generation of ambassadors and to turn the StepUp! campaign into a movement and support system for other young people across Europe.

The call is open from March 6 to April 20, 2020.

How to apply? Fill out the application at the link: https://forms.gle/oqVBrRAkCjJMssM68

Young Ambassadors will be announced on May 25, 2020.