From March to May 2023, three workshops on violence against women were held as part of the project “Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy and Inclusive Political Dialogue” implemented by BFPE with the support of UNDP.
The aim of the project, on which BFPE has been diligently working for the past three years, is to maintain and expand the space for political dialogue with decision-makers, support transparency in decision-making processes, and promote the active engagement of politicians, both male and female, in the field of gender equality. Supporting the political empowerment of women is yet another critical area where progress has been made, but there is room for elected assemblies to do much more.
One-day workshops on violence against women were held in Aranđelovac, Kragujevac, and Valjevo, at the request of women councillors who expressed a desire to further explore this topic and gain a deeper understanding of gender-based violence issues. The participants acquired practical knowledge and skills necessary for further work in implementing gender equality policies at the local level, aiming to assist and support women who are victims of gender-based violence.
During the workshops, the women councillors were provided with an explanation of the concept of gender-based violence, discussions were held on existing legal mechanisms related to gender-based violence, and the use of existing tools in enhancing the engagement of women councillors in the fight against violence. All participants highly rated the quality of the workshops during the evaluation and expressed interest in continuing collaboration and receiving additional training in this field.
