Fempower - WOMEN AGAINST VIOLENCE EUROPE

Celebrating the Civil Society Strengthening Platform

January 13, 2023

The project established partnership among women’s NGOs to increase capacity building, joint funding & sustainability, visibility & advocacy, access to more/different resources, organisational support, and … Read more

The WAVE Youth Ambassadors’ initiative & the power of youth activism

December 30, 2022December 30, 2022

In 2018, the WAVE Network introduced the WAVE Youth Ambassadors’ initiative as a way to ensure the inclusion and engagement of youth within the context … Read more

Civil Courage

August 18, 2022

Stop the Abuse and Start the Action The campaign was produced as a result of the Civil Courage Training attended by the WAVE Youth Ambassadors … Read more

Youth speak out: ending sexual violence against women and girls

January 3, 2023July 31, 2022

The WAVE Youth Ambassadors and youth activists from the Western Balkans and Türkiye have been raising their voices, amplifying youth voices, and speaking out against … Read more

From Crisis to Crisis: the fight for sustainable refuge funding in England

November 5, 2021June 7, 2019

Over the past few years we have seen specialist refuge services in England lurch from funding crisis to funding crisis with no promise of sustainable … Read more

“My house is my castle” – the protection of victims of domestic violence under Polish law

November 5, 2021May 24, 2019

Although the Polish legal system has undergone some changes as a result of Poland’s adoption of the Istanbul Convention (1),there still are a number of … Read more

The lack of implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Italy

August 18, 2023May 10, 2019

On September 10th, 2013, the Istanbul Convention was ratified by Italy and it entered into force almost one year later, on August 1st, 2014. By ratifying the Convention, Italy is obliged to prevent and eliminate violence against women (VAW), particularly by eradicating gender stereotypes which are deeply embedded in Italian culture. These are said to be the main cause behind the high rates of domestic violence and femicide, which have dramatically increased in the past couple of years. This issue was also highlighted by the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on
VAW, Rashida Manjoo(1), in her report about the situation of VAW in Italy from 2012, and was also reflected in the judgement passed by the European Court of Human Rights in 2017 concerning the case Talpis v. Italy.(2) The current legal framework is characterized by fragmentation, inadequate punishment of perpetrators, and lack of effective redress for women affected by violence.

The work of “Medica” Zenica with survivors of war rape and sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina

November 5, 2021March 22, 2019

About “Medica” Zenica(1)

Medica Zenica is the oldest specialized women’s non-governmental organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which, since April 1993 has been continuously providing comprehensive help, support and care to women and children survivors of war. Additionally, it also offers support to women and children suffering from post war violence, including survivors of war rape and other forms of war torture, sexual violence in general, survivors of domestic violence, as well as victims of trafficking in human beings. Medica Zenica is a leading organization addressing the issues of trauma and violence in BiH and during almost 23 years of work Medica Zenica has provided services to more than 450.000 survivors throughout the territory of BiH.

The impact of a separation or divorce in cases of domestic violence on refugee status determination

November 5, 2021March 8, 2019

This article seeks to outline the impact of a separation/divorce of a woman from her husband on refugee status determination (RSD) in cases where women have experienced violence by their husband in their country of origin and/or after arriving in the receiving country. An overview of case law of the Austrian Federal Administrative Court will be provided and in the second part main gaps in practice are summarized.

Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Finland: What is working well and what still needs to be fixed?

November 5, 2021February 22, 2019

Finland signed the Istanbul Convention (IC) in 2011 and the ratification entered into force in 2015. The first country report to GREVIO was due in spring this year. Alongside Finland’s official report submitted by the state, 13 NGOs formed a coalition to produce a parallel report.(1) The report was coordinated by the two Finnish WAVE members: Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters together with Women’s Line. In this article I will introduce some of the main points of the report, divided here into three core parts: structures for implementation, support measures and legislative problems.

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