Donator: L’Oreal Fund for Women

Duration of the project: October 2022-October 2023

Project goals and activities:

Through regular AWC activities, provision of basic services - psychosocial support via SOS telephone and individual consultations, as well as legal assistance in the form of writing submissions and providing legal advice, women are empowered and receive information on how to achieve their rights and achieve economic independence. In addition to regular support, AWC prioritizes and develops economic empowerment services so that women can gain economic independence, which is an important factor for getting out of a violent relationship. Economic empowerment services include information assistance (through video material, direct consultations with women who have experienced violence) to achieve the right to some material assistance, information on labour rights and how to protect yourself from mobbing, providing urgent financial assistance for women who have survived violence, information and guidance to other service providers and organization of personal development training.

Donator: Avon Foundation Fund

Duration of the project: May 2022- May 2023

Project goals:

The project aimed to reduce economic dependence, which is a predominant reason why women with the experience of violence endure violent relationships. Assisting women with the experience of violence to achieve economic independence through the improvement i.e., acquisition of new skills, knowledge, and active participation in the labor market, with AWC continued support and contribution to changes in local employment policies.

Basic information about the project:

Development of women's skills and knowledge through the collection of information on the specific needs of women; information, guidance and mediation, support for women through regular AWC services.

Strengthening the economic empowerment program, as a new AWC service, such as the creation of informative materials for women, preparation and implementation of specific trainings, collection and production of new materials, development of internal capacities for the establishment of a new service; disseminating information about services through the AWC website.

Establishing and developing cooperation with relevant organizations and institutions: meeting to present data on specific needs of survivors in terms of economic empowerment and employment; preparation of guidelines and instructions for interested parties; evaluation meeting, conclusions, and proposals to decision makers.

Donor: The Sigrid Rausing Trust

Project duration: June 2021 – May 2022.

Key activities/outputs:

1. Women survivors of violence empowered to live free of violence - Providing psychosocial support and legal aid to women who survived violence; Strengthening knowledge, cooperation and wellbeing of AWC’s service providers; Promoting AWC’s support services.

2. Capacities of women’s movement built and awareness of media and youth regarding violence against women raised -  joint advocacy activities, project partnerships, training program with WCSOs at local, regional or international level; Cooperation with media; Raising awareness on different forms of on gender-based violence (GBV) among young people.

3. Institutional framework for the protection of women from violence improved in line with international high standards and obligations -  reporting regarding monitoring of reforms and implementation of international standards in relation to prevention, protection and suppression of violence against women; submitting policy proposal and proposals for the amendments of the law; Developing new training programs for professionals in institutions and conducting at least trainings, meetings, consultations and support for professionals in institutions, CSO’s and students from relevant professions.

4. AWC’s programme, financial and political autonomy and sustainability strengthened. - Improving AWC working conditions and safety in the office; Diversification of the fundraising.

Donor: The Balkan Trust for Democracy

Project duration: July 2020 – July 2021

Project goal: Protection of women survivors of violence through their empowerment and improved accessibility of support services during and in the period of recovery of COVID pandemic

Basic information about the project and main activities:

Project is aimed to provide support services to women survivors of violence from Kosovo and Serbia, which include providing free legal aid, support in exercising women’s financial and social rights, self-help group sessions, financial support in order to help them cover necessary administrative and court’s expenses and providing emergency aid to women accommodated at Kosovo shelters.

One of the main activities of the project is the development of standards for providing services during and after the covid19 pandemic that caused a shift towards services being offered remotely and via internet platforms.

Online support protocols will also be developed with a particular focus on protecting physical and digital security of women who survived violence. The developed platforms and standards will be shared with and distributed to women’s CSOs in Kosovo, Serbia and the Balkan region, that also provide direct support for women who survived violence. The aim is to improve these organisations' capacities and the quality of support services provided remotely and online.

Donors: Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

Project name: Effective policies and unified practice in support and protection of domestic violence survivors.

Project duration: July 2020 – July 2022.

Project goal: The aim of the project proposal is to contribute to the full implementation of the legal framework and improved institutional practice related to protection of domestic violence survivors.

Project objectives: clearly formulated proposals for improvement of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence and other laws aimed at protection of DV through monitoring their implementation and identifying gaps; increased readiness of decision makers to review and adopt necessary changes; increased knowledge and understanding of 300 professionals on adequate response on the needs of survivors of violence; increasing effectiveness of 150 professionals in protection of DV victims in individual cases.

Basic information about the project: the project aims to provide comprehensive response to problems recognised during the implementation of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence. Mapping the gaps and challenges in implementation will lead to consultations with experts in the field and deliverance of recommendations for relevant decision makers. Beside policy level, activities consider support to practitioners in charge for implementation of the law. Guidelines and training will be developed and delivered to professionals. First and last instance are beneficiaries (women and their children, victims of violence) who are most relevant to point on the problems in implementation of the law and to whom support will be provided while addressing institutions, to secure their safety and security, rights and needs.

Donors: Group 484, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade

Project name: Free Legal Aid for Women and Their Children in Need

Project duration: July – October 2020

Partner organizations in this project are the Association of Women Sandglass from Krusevac, SOS Women’s Centre from Novi Sad and Women’s Rights Center from Podgorica.

Objective: women and their children, that endured economical loss during public health crisis, empowered to obtain their rights.

Specific goals: all women that address women CSOs received free legal support in the sphere of family and social rights, women, and their children, mostly affected by public health crisis, received free legal aid, women CSOs enabled to provide improved services while working out of the office.

Basic information about the project: project partners will provide free legal aid in general, that consists of free legal support (providing general legal information and filling in forms) and free legal aid (providing legal advices, compiling legal briefs and providing legal representation by attorneys at law). Beneficieries of the project are women - unemployed or living in poverty, pregnant women, single mothers, with minor children or child/ren with disability, who have no financial means due to loss of employment/income because of public health crisis and at the same time facing difficulties in obtaining alimony and/or social aid.

Donor: Swiss Confederation, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs – Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Project name: I can choose to say no - Empowering youth to stand up against cyber sexual and gender-based violence

Project duration: May 2020 – February 2021

Objective: The overall goal is to contribute to ending cyber sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in youth intimate partner relationships, by especially empowering girls and supporting them to stand up to violence. 

Main information about the project and envisaged activities:

The project will involve primarily youth (15-19), but also teachers, psychologists, pedagogues, parents and the wider local community. Also, through the project implementation AWC will further improve its capacities to deal with the topic of cyber sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls.

The project activities envisage peer education and training, guidebooks for youth and teachers, psychosocial support to young women victims of violence through SOS line and an awareness raising campaign. These activities specifically deal with gender-based violence in partner relationships, focusing on how technology accelerates patterns of controlling and abusive behavior specifically in partner relationships. Awareness-raising activities explore self-defense strategies, as well as strategies and online tools for expressing unacceptability of cyber SGBV, while providing support to those exposed to such violence.   

Duration of the project: 36 months

The Project is funded by: Austrian Development Agency

Partner organizations in this project are the Albanian Women’s Empowerment Network and Gender Alliance for Development Centre (Albania), Kosovo Women’s Network (Kosovo), United Women Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), National Network against Violence against Women (North Macedonia), Women’s Rights Centre (Montenegro).

The main goal of this project is to contribute to the improvement of the secondary legislation/programs and institutionalization of quality support services (rehabilitation and integration) for survivors of GBV.

Expected results:

1. Women supported in leaving violent environments and becoming more autonomous.
2. Quality evidence-based proposals for secondary legislation and programs for assisting survivors put forth.
3. Improved skills of service providers towards increased safety/security of survivors.
4. Strengthened and formalised regional network for addressing violence against women in line with EU standards.

To achieve these objectives and results following main groups of activities are planned:

• Providing support services (psychosocial and legal support).
• Submitting proposals for the improvement of secondary legislation and programs for assisting survivors to responsible parties.
• Providing education for service providers (institutions and NGOs).
• Strengthening regional network for addressing violence against women.

Target group – women and their children survivors of GBV, professionals from relevant institutions and CSOs in the Western Balkan.

Activities and results of the Project will contribute to the full implementation of the Istanbul Convention (Chapter 4 – Protection and Support) in each country. The partners will use the outputs of the previous regional project Coordinated efforts – Toward new European standards in protection of women from gender-based violence to further monitor the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. Established indicators for monitoring of the provision of the Istanbul Convention will be updated and used to measure progress towards full implementation of the Convention in the region.

Donor: European Union - Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme

Project duration: August 2019 – July 2021

Objective: Contribute to ending cyber sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in youth (aged 15-19) intimate partner relationships, by especially empowering girls and supporting them to stand up to violence.

Main information about the project and envisaged activities:

This project is implemented in four countries (Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Spain) and is coordinated by the Autonomous Women’s Center from Belgrade, while the implementing partners are „Fundacion Privada INDERA“ from Spain, „CESI – Centar za edukaciju, savjetovanje i istraživanje” from Croatia and  „Nők A Nőkért Együtt Az Erőszak Ellen Egyesület (NANE)” from Hungary.

Project activities include: 1) Collection of evidence on awareness of secondary school youth and teachers, on their attitudes/strategies to address cyber SGBV in youth partner relationships; 2) Building project partners’ capacities to better address cyber SGBV; 3) Education and encouragement of youth to stand up to SGBV; 4) Raising awareness of secondary school teachers on cyber SGBV and providing them with tools to address attitudes that encourage violence; 5) Facilitating mobilization of youth on the topic of cyber SGBV, focusing on empowerment of girls to stand up to cyber SGBV.

Donor:  Kvinna till Kvinna

 Project duration: January 2019 – December 2020

Project goal: Contribute to the establishment of comprehensive legal and policy solutions for the protection of women against violence, as conditions for the realisation of democracy, fundamental rights and women’s human rights, through the process of harmonisation with the EU values and acquis. Specific goal: Increased prioritization of women’s human rights by governments in the EU accession process through participation of women’s organisations.

General information about the project: Activities include 1) Monitoring reforms under Chapter 23 (fundamental rights: principle of non-discrimination, gender equality, social position of vulnerable groups and procedural safeguards) by AWC in partnership with the prEUgovor coalition. 2) Regular policy proposals and law amendments based on monitoring the implementation of the CoE Convention and UN Concluding observations by AWC, through policy dialogue between decision-makers, with active participation of media and citizens. 3) Strengthening capacities of AWC and women’s organisations for the increased participation in advocating for the rights of women in the national policy and laws, and for participation in the EU accession process.