La Strada Documentation Center

Country report 2010. Reality check on European Services for Women and Children Survivors of Violence. A Right for Protection and Support?

Document number
2788
Date
2011
Title
Country report 2010. Reality check on European Services for Women and Children Survivors of Violence. A Right for Protection and Support?
Author/publisher
Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE)
Availability
LSI library
Document type(s)
Meeting Documentation/Conference Reports,
Keywords
Prevention, Awareness Raising, Media, Information Campaigns, Empowerment, Advocacy, Civil society, NGO, Human Rights approach, Activism, Education, Training;
Summary
The report focuses on specific support services for women survivors of violence and their children. It does not include general services such as shelters for homeless people, mother and child homes or general helplines for survivors of violence. Research and practice of the last thirty years have shown that specific services for women are needed in order to provide adequate support. This principle is also recognised by the new Council of Europe Convention to Prevent and Combat Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, which was signed in May 2011 in Istanbul. Women's services need to apply a gender-specific approach in order to tackle the problem effectively and, according to the Council of Europe Convention, governments need to recognise that "the realisation of de jure and de facto equality between women and men is a key element in the prevention of violence against women". The information provided in the report is mainly about women's helplines, women's shelters and women's support centres. For the report 2011 WAVE is planning to also include information on rape crises and sexual assault centres.
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