Comprehensive Approach in Engaging Young Men in Ending Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence in West Herzegovina Canton”

Name of the project:

“Comprehensive Approach in Engaging Young Men in Ending Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence in West Herzegovina Canton”

Duration of the project:: 01.08.2017. – 30.09.2018.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The fact that Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a serious and very common problem in our society is confirmed by concerning data from a research that was conducted in 2013 by the Agency for Gender Equality of B&H and with support of UNFPA and UNWOMEN. According to research findings, the overall rate of gender based violence against women that have experienced violence since they reached the age of 15 is 47.2%, while the current rate, i.e. the violence to which they were exposed in the last year is 11.9% and in this case, the most common perpetrators are partners and family members. It is the findings of this research that imply that the sphere of partnership and family relations is the strongest source of violence against women and in most cases and violence is perceived as a private matter. Psychological violence is the most common type of violence in our country, followed by physical violence. In 2015, the organization CARE NWB in cooperation with Association XY, Perpetuum Mobile and Youth Power (YP), conducted a research among high school population in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar. The research included 1,030 young people, of which 559 boys and 471 girls. According to the findings, about 45% of young men noted that they used violence against peers including partners, while 50% of respondents reported exposure to physical and sexual violence. According to a survey conducted in Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka, 20% of young people had some kind of unpleasant sexual experience. Exposure to psychological violence was confirmed by 23.5-28.8% of young women. Research findings imply that young people do not recognize various forms of violence they are exposed to. According to the survey of In Foundation, 65% of respondents have survived some form of GBV and based on research findings in B&H most common are: emotional abuse 62%, physical 58%, witnessing violence, 43%, 27% of neglect and sexual abuse 23.4%.

YP and its partners are widely acknowledged as pioneers and leaders in engaging men and boys in violence prevention in the Western Balkans region. National and local governments have recognized YMI as a successful methodology and exemplary model of civil society-government collaboration. In 2015. YP and partner organizations initiated advocacy activities for accrediting educational interventions that are recognized by the relevant institutions as an effective, comprehensive and timely. In 2016 YP got full accreditation of Program Y (Youth), in way that program Y is included in all high schools of Herzegovina – Neretva canton in 25% headmaster classes as obligatory part of school curricula. UN Women supported YP together with partners YMI. In that line YP is mentoring two YNGO in Canton 10 and implementing project in two cantons in FBIH.

This project is in line with the commitment expressed in the Message on International Cooperation 2013-2016 to fight gender discrimination as well as with the B&H entity policy documents on youth and health and B&H’s Gender Action Plan. The two entity-level Gender Centers responsible for mainstreaming gender equality in policies and laws fully support the project and endorse the proposed methodology.

PROJECT GOALS

Overall goalof the project proposal is contribution to improvement of standards and engagement for ending violence against women and domestic violence in West Herzegovina Canton.

This will be accomplished by improving gender equitable social response to domestic and gender based violence through engaging young men and women in challenging social norms, supported by formal education.

By integrating effective and proven educational and social change methodology into formal education, project will provide sustainable solution that will empower generations of high school students to be able to recognize, identify, adequately respond and prevent gender based violence and domestic violence.

Medium term result (outcome): Men, women and youth demonstrate increased intolerance towards violence against women in their attitudes and behaviors.

Short-term result 1 (output)– Men, women and youth in selected communities engaged to foster favorable social attitude and behaviors.

Short-term result 2 (output)– Media actively involved to make general public more aware of the negative consequences of violence against women and the importance of the role of men as agents of change

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES

Starting the project we will be doing initial planning and contracting with all coordinators for 4 local communities. They will get set of trainings where they will get skill and knowledge for project implementation. Together with Ministry of education HNC and Canton 10 we will work on advocacy strategy, so we can be in same level in West Herzegovina Canton and get accreditation in schools. We will have meeting with cantonal ministry where we will present project, ask for permission of work in schools and also their suggestion in witch schools we should focus more.

Establishing of advisory board that will be consist of representatives from Ministries of education HNC, Canton 10 and West Herzegovina canton; project staff. Advisory board will have roll to advise and suggest activities to ensure good and quality of implementation in schools. They will be our leaders in process of accreditation. By accreditation we mean to have Program Youth in school curricula un least as 25% of headmaster classes. In that why we have sustainability and continuation of program in schools.

In all 4 local communities we will make call for collaboration with local NGO’s. First step is doing assessment and making sure that quality NGO’s are selected. Those NGO’s will get education for implementing activities on local level. They will have YP as mentoring organization that will give YP resources for learning and developing in future similar project that will more activate those communities. We are prepared also for possibilities that in some of those local communities there is no active youth NGO’s, in that case we will help youth to establish non-formal groups that can later be registered as NGO.

By the help of Advisory board and by getting permission of work in schools for Ministry of education in West Herzegovina Canton we will contact schools, present project and program Youth, After agreeing with schools management we will sign the MoU and make plan of work in schools. Together with pedagogue we will do adaptation of existing baseline questionnaires and agree on dates of doing baseline in schools. After finalizing dates we will make call with Terms Of Reference – TOR for interviewers who will be selected and trained for doing baseline in local communities schools at beginning of school year and endline in last months of school year.

Youth from local community, youth NGO’s staff and youth from schools will get training on gender transformative interventions and peer education training. They will get knowledge about using Program Youth, understanding of gender transformative intervention, roll model system, peer education; campaign development and implementing of campaigns; using of social media for raising awareness and promotion of gender equality. After they finish with training they will get mentors that will be helping them with workshops in school. They will be creating and implementing campaigns for attracting youth, promoting gender equality, nonviolence behavior, etc.

Beside youth we will be working with teachers, they will have training for teachers from schools in targeted communities on GBV and gender transformative interventions. Training them on using Program Youth we are ensuring sustainability for project. They will get knowledge and our support so they can do monitoring of educators and training of new educators and teachers in schools. We will be their resource center and will have mentoring roll.

In local communities and schools there will be established 4 “Be a Men”(BMC) and “Be a Girl” (BGC) youth clubs. They will have periodically meetings, educational and creative workshops, campaigns, raising awareness and advocacy interventions in selected communities. 25 youth leaders will be invited to attend leadership camp that we are organizing each summer. On leadership camp they will be presenting their local community together with other leader from more then 15 other communities. They will have training session for advance leadership skills, by that they will get knowledge and practice how they can be positive roll models and agents of change.

Together with schools pedagogues and ministry representatives we will work on development of manual for reporting GBV in schools but also in local communities. Manual will be used as educational tool for understanding and reacting on GBV. In schools we will be also collecting positive stories of successful changes of attitudes of youth. That will be done as case of study that we will call “Agents of change”. Publication will be in both local but also in English language.

Donator: Ambasada SAD-a u BiH

Vrijednost projekta: 24.998$