One of the activities carried out by ICAR Foundation within the project “EVA IRFAM – There is Hidden Violence Affecting Migrant Women” consisted in the involvement of the beneficiaries consulted within the activities in the creation of advocacy and awareness actions to increase the involvement of public authorities in identifying, registering and resolving cases of gender-based violence against migrants/refugees.
The main aim of the activity was the involvement and mobilization of migrants in the transmission of messages on gender-based violence in order to alert the responsible authorities regarding the implementation of response and prevention mechanisms.
During the consultations that took place, the migrants emphasized 3 main ideas that should be considered to prevent and combat situations of violence:
- Training of specialists working in the field of violence in order to understand the specifics of the migrant population – including the difference between translator and interpreter;
- Preventing and combating school bullying against migrant children
- Adaptation of the legislation in force.
Therefore, the ideas highlighted by the migrants could be concretized within actions aimed at:
- Training of staff from responsible public institutions in order to understand the situation in the migrants’ countries of origin (e.g. cultural norms, migrants’ reasons for leaving, etc.);
- Carrying out awareness campaigns for migrants with an emphasis on gender (e.g. human rights, risks to which some women are subjected, etc.);
- Re-evaluating and synchronizing legislation and public policies in accordance with European and international norms in order to develop the capacity to support all categories of migrants.
The advocacy actions resulting from the consultation of the beneficiaries were presented during the capacity building sessions held within the project.