The conference as part of the "puSHEd - Protect, Understand, Support: Help the Elderly" project, which was held on October 25, 2023, brings conclusions and key information that marked this valuable initiative. During the conference, we gathered experts and organizations from the field of civil society, safe houses, homes for the elderly, medical sectors, social workers, and the academic community to discuss best practices at the European level.
Our focus questions were how to improve and raise awareness of support for older women victims of violence, consider alternative systemic solutions and encourage necessary reforms in long-term care for this extremely vulnerable group. The conference was enriched by excellent speakers, including Tatjana Vlašić from the Office of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Croatia, Ana Laas from the Women's Support Center from Estonia, Lana Bobić from the Commission for Gender Equality of the City of Zagreb and Alia Luf from the Association of Autonomous Austrian Women's Shelters. The conference was expertly moderated by Doria Jukić from our partner organization, the shelter for victims of domestic violence - Dom Duga-Zagreb, along with Tamara Šterk from the BaBe association
The conclusions that emerged from our discussions include the need to conduct relevant research on violence against older women, exploring potential solutions at the local level, and recognizing the lack of adequate services for this group as a deep-rooted systemic problem.
As next steps, the organizers plan to apply the knowledge gained within the project, seek new sources of funding and establish partnerships related to this topic, continue with the dissemination of materials and providing support and training of experts, and encourage networking and exchange of good practices. This conference represents an important step towards raising awareness and encouraging positive changes in support for older women facing violence.
The project "puSHEd - Protect, Understand, Support: Help the Elderly" is financed by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program of the European Union and co-financed by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, and is implemented by the association BaBe Budi aktivna. Budi emancipiran. in partnership with the City of Zagreb, the Home for Children and Adults - Victims of Domestic Violence "Duga Zagreb" and the Zajednički put Foundation.
