Key activities:

1. Psycho-social support for women: provision of SOS telephone services, "face-to-face" consultation and answering women's e-mail messages.

2. Assertiveness training for women who have experienced violence in order to better self-represent their interests and needs, strengthen boundaries, improve communication, build a positive "self-image", damaged during the period of violence in which they lived.

3. Mediation in employment and creation of informative materials of interest to women who have experienced violence.

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 2022 – May 2025

Project goal: General support to the Autonomous Women's Center in implementing activities from the Strategic Plan.

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.

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: Kvinna till Kvinna

Project duration: January 2021 – December 2023

Project objective: Increased prioritisation of women’s human rights by governments in the EU accession process through participation of women’s organisations.

Key activities/outputs

1. Monitoring the implementation of international standards by AWC, and a promotional campaign (internet and social media): Regional (WB) campaign dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence; Preparation of comments/reports on the implementation of international obligations; Policy analysis of sexual and reproductive rights and women’s health (education sector);
2. Regular policy proposals and law amendments, through policy dialogue between decision-makers, with active participation of media and citizens - areas: Discrimination and gender equality; Suppression and prevention of GBV; Social protection and support for women; Sexual and reproductive rights and education;
3. Monitoring reforms under Chapter 23 and Ch.19 by AWC in partnership with the prEUgovor coalition and other relevant CSOs: Monitoring the implementation of the AP for Chapters 23 and 24 (2 semi-annual reports; 2 press conferences and 2 meetings with the EU Delegation in Serbia and with representatives of embassies of EU member states); Monitoring the implementation of the AP for Chapter 19 (reports and announcements);
4. Strengthening the internal capacities of AWC members (especially the consulting team): Supervisory support to the AWC consulting team; at least 4 lectures whit external experts; at least 3 lectures whit internal expert.

Donor: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Project duration: November 2020 – January 2024

Partner organizations: medica mondiale (Germany), medica Zenica, Vive Žene (Bosnia and Hercegovina), medica Gjakova, Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (Kosovo), Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Women in Black (Serbia)

Project goal: Creating a culture of recognition and reconciliation in the Western Balkans for women survivors of war related SGBV to live in dignity and free from violence

Outcomes of the project:

1. The topic of war related SGBV is reflected in political debates and curricula
2. Improved laws and procedures for compensation mechanisms
3. Improved court procedures
4. Likeminded feminist women's organisations are recognised as experts in political national and regional reconciliation processes

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.