Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
Report on activities implemented in the frame of the 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign targeting women living in camps and outside of camps "1" Introduction: Al Mesalla organization runs Women Safe Spaces (WSSs) in the camps of Bahrika, Kawargosik, Darashakran and Baserma as well as Women Community Spaces (WCCs) in Bahremandan, Kasnazan, Razhan, Shaqlawa and Khabat, in the province of Erbil, with the support of UNFPA. Specific activities were organized in the frame of the campaign “16 days to combat violence against women� in the women spaces from 11/25/2014 until 12/10/2014.
Objective: 1. Raise awareness of the communities living in the camps and outside of the camps about gender based violence (GBV). 2. Advocate and raise awareness about early marriage.
Activities: 1. Opening ceremony: The campaign was launched on 11/25/2014 at 10am in the camp of Baharka. A seminar was organized by the women’s center and was attended by representatives of the camp management, representatives from organizations and women living in the camp. The seminar addressed the legal framework that provides protection to women in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and a special focus was made on the phenomenon of "Early marriage". A series of interventions were made by specialists, addressing impact of early marriage on women from a legal, health and psychological point of view. Seminars and lectures on the opening date were conducted in all other WSSs and WCCS to explain about the 16 days of activism campaign and its selected theme focusing on Early marriage. In Kawargosik, a paint exhibition was opened and displayed pictures related to violence against women and early marriage 1
Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
2. Community dialogues: 16 community dialogues were conducted in the camps, 8 focused on addressing a total of 20 parents and 8 focused on addressing a total of 24 boys and girls under 18 years old. Discussions focused on understanding how the camp community is affected by violence against women and early marriage. Causes of early marriage were discussed and most of participants explained that issues linked to the conditions of living in the camp and issues linked to security in the camp drive them to agree on marrying their girls at an early age, in addition to the poor financial status of families. Besides, the IDP community living in camps considers that the phenomenon of early marriage is a tradition. Boys and girls mentioned that being out of school and without work are the major causes of early marriage beside pressure from the family side. Regarding the impact of early marriage, both groups of parents and under age participants mostly focused on the increasing divorce rate because under age spouses lack of coping mechanisms and problem solving skills. At the end of community dialogues, the social workers provided participants with a lecture about early marriage focusing on the negative impact it has on women regarding legal, social and health aspects.
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Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
3. Lectures and seminars: 30 lectures and seminars were conducted in the frame of the 16 days of activism campaign and addressed the issue of early marriage. Lectures were provided by social workers, psychiatrics, lawyers and gynecologists, discussing different aspects of early marriage and its impacts in regards to social, psychological, legal and health impacts. More than 400 persons of both sex and different age groups participated to lectures and seminars, sharing their inputs about the subjects.
4. Theater play: 3 theater plays were organized in the camps of Darashakran and Kawargosik about violence against women and early marriage. 16 boys and girls from the camps were trained and performed the play. A large audience attended the shows and interacted with the actors. At the end of the show, the audience was requested to share comments and provide solutions for the problems and issues presented during the show.
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Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
5. Awareness rising: A group of volunteers and social workers in the camps and outside of the camps conducted out-reach activities in order to raise awareness about early marriage. They visited tents after tents in the camps and home after home outside of the camps and distributed brochures and posters about early marriage. The material contained information about how early marriage is a violation of women’s rights mentioning legal aspects and discussing health and social impact of early marriage especially on girls. During this activity, 800 families were visited and 800 brochures were distributed.
Handouts were distributed during the implementation of community dialogues and to visitors of the WSSs during the time of the campaign. 362 booklets were distributed in the camps of Kawargosik, Darashakran and Baserma. 500 hand bracelets (orange ribbon) with the word NO to early marriage written on it were distributed.
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Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign 6. Exhibitions: In Shaqlawa and Khabat WCCS, two exhibitions for products sewn by women were opened. Each exhibition lasted for two days and lectures about early marriage were provided to the visitors.
In Baserma camp, a 5 days’ exhibition of women hand made products was opened and displayed sewing, crotchet and other hand work of women and girls attending training courses in Nergiz women space in Baserma camp.
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Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
Center for Legal and Social Assistance in the camp Bakrka "Report on the activities organized in the frame of the 16-days of activism to combat violence against women campaign in Bahrka camp" "2" Introduction: The Legal Assistance Centre established in Bahrka camp, Erbil Province, provides legal and social services to displaced women living in the camp. The project is implemented with the support of UNDP and in partnership with the Directorate in charge of following-up violence against women and the Independent High Commission for Human Rights in Kurdistan. The center designed a special work plan to organize activities during the 16 days of activism to combat violence against women campaign, which took place from 11/25/2014 until 12/10/2014. Al-Mesalla Organization is running 9 other women's centers in partnership with UNFPA. Activities were organized in these centres as well in the frame of the same campaign and another report sharing outlines of activities will be issued and distributed soon. Objective: 1-Raise legal awareness among IDPs women in Bahrka camp 2-Engage men and boys living in the camp in the combating violence against women campaign named "white emblem campaign" Activities:
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Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
First activity: Seminar on legal framework providing protection to women in Iraq and KRG On 11/25/2014, a seminar was organized by the women’s center and was attended by representatives of the camp management, representatives from organizations and women living in the camp. The seminar addressed the legal framework that provides protection to women in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and a special focus was made on the phenomenon of "Early marriage". A series of interventions were made by specialists, addressing impact of early marriage on women from a legal, health and psychological point of view.
Second activity: Distribution of material on legal protection of women Brochures, books, pamphlets and posters were printed for the campaign to raise awareness and educate women about laws in force providing protection to women. Two teams of volunteers were established to help in distributing the material and visited more than 600 families living in the camp and talked with women during a week’s time.
Third activity: Organization of 2 focus groups with men and boys 7
Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
On 02/12/2014 two focus groups were held with men and boy: the first group gathered 12 men between the age of 25 to 32 years, and the second group gathered 12 young men between the ages of 18 to 25 years.
The following questions were asked to the two groups in order to launch dialogue: What is the opinion of men and young people's opinion towards violence against women? What is the opinion of men and young people's opinion towards the causes of violence against women? Does violence affect only women or the whole society? Does work to prevent violence against women involves only women or should men and young people contribute to preventing the occurrence of violence against women? Each focus group continues discussion for 90 minutes and answers to the questions were as follows: Q: What is the opinion of men and young people's opinion towards violence against women? 1. Violence against women is violence practiced against women and opinions.
girls’
2. Violence against women is a lack of respect towards women 3. Violence against women is to prevent women to go out and intervene in her life 4. Violence against women is harassment against women in society 5. Violence against women is not to give the economic rights to women 8
Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
Q: What is the opinion of men and young people's opinion towards the causes of violence against women? 1- Young men are subjected to large psychological pressure from the society and violence is a result of this existing pressure 2- Violence is a result of economic factors, the lack of work leads to pressure on men who fail to meet the needs of their family and they resort to violence within the family 3- Violence is a result of social factors, as there is a historical legacy of social and tribal beliefs that men should resort to violence to lead the family
Q: Does violence affect only women or the whole society? 1- Violence affects women, from a psychological, health, social and physical aspect 2- Violence affects children, in terms of birth, as well as in terms of physical disabilities and isolates the children from the community and leads to school drop-out. 3- Violence affects men, in terms of psychological, economic and social aspects 4- Violence affects the community, in terms of community peace, economic side, illiteracy, etc.
Q: Does work to prevent violence against women involves only women or should men and young people contribute to preventing the occurrence of violence against women? 1- Some considered that combating violence against women is mainly the work of women and girls 2- But the majority believed that combating violence against women must be stopped by the men as every man or young man should start from himself 3- Men and young people should contribute with women and girls and the awareness of men by women of the importance of combating violence against women.
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Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
Fourth activity: Organization of a training workshop for 15 men and young men on violence against women
On 12/04/2014, a training workshop on "violence against women" was for 15 displaced men and young men from Bahrka camp. The training addressed the following topics: -
Gender based violence and violence against women, concept of gender
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Types of violence against women
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Causes of violence against women
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The effects of violence against women (on women, men, kids, family, society).
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The importance of the involvement of men and boys in combating violence against women programs
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Violence against women is harassment against women in society
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Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
Fifth activity: Organization of a community dialogue event gathering men and women
On 08/12/2014, a community dialogue was organized and gathered 15 women and girls and 15 men and young men. They discussed the results of the focus groups organized previously. Questions and answers of young men during the focus groups were presented to the audience and answers were reviewed and the audience was requested to provide feedback on the answers and provide additional answers to the questions that were not mentioned during the focus groups. Q: What is the opinion of men and young people's opinion towards violence against women? - Lack of respect for women shown by her husband, her father - Women are not given the freedom to choose her husband or what she wears and restrict her to go out from the house - The husband beats his wife - The men prevent women from working
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Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
Q: What is the opinion of men and young people's opinion towards the causes of violence against women? - Pressure and economic reasons - Jealousy on wife - Women are not listening to the husband, have a lack of interest in him and dispute occurs with the use of trivial words - Lack of respect for women from her husband
Q: Does violence affect only women or the whole society? - Violence affects children especially the young ones - Violence affects the economy of the house
Q: Does work to prevent violence against women involves only women or should men and young people contribute to preventing the occurrence of violence against women? - Men and women should both work towards prevention - If women were respecting her husband he would not beat her but respect her - Love between the two sides would prevent the existence of violence - The husband should be treated well in order to be psychologically relaxed and make him feel the love of his wife and children
Sixth activity: Launch of the white emblem campaign On the morning of 12/10/2014, a team of 14 men and youth in cooperation with the legal center launched the white emblem campaign in the camp. The team visited all the tens in the camp and talked with displaced men and young people in the camp and addressed the importance about combatting violence against women. They distributed brochures about the campaign and tied on chest of men and young men white ribbons, the emblem of the campaign.
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Al Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development 16 days to combat violence against women Campaign
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