The Project has been created within Theme G: Equal Opportunity - Reconcilling family and professional life.

Project description:
Partnership decided to concentrate on women who face double discrimination: not only because of their gender but also because of their family situation. On one hand violence they experience in intimate relationship has big impact on their functioning in the labour market and on the other hand the fact that they are economically dependant on their abusers makes it more difficult for them to leave abusive relationship. We anticipate that women victims of violence face additional difficulties in the labour market because of their low esteem and other psychological problems which are consequence of violence their experiences. Additionally, they can not count on their partners in dealing with various family duities and as a result they face bigger difficulties in sharing family and professinal activities.
Women who served prison term are stigmatized by this fact and as a result they face additional difficulties in the labour market. In addition the situation of women in prison is more difficult as those of men because concerning access to job and education.
Institutions dealing with domestic violence often ignore the issue of employment and those dealing with the employment do not take into consideration specific problems and barriers of women victims of violence. Lack of cooperation among those institutions results in less efficient use of existing resources and smaller efffectivness of provided assistance.

Objectives of the project are to:
1. develop model program facilitating women victims of domestic violence (unemployed, being at risk of unemploymentand imprisoned for killing their abusers) to improve their professional skills, find and/or keep their jobs;
2. make employers acquainted with the idea of equal chances for women and men, show them positive aspects of part and flexible time working hours as well as other possibilities which would make it easier for parents to share professional and family life.

In order to reach those objectives we would like to create integrated system of assistance to women victims of violence, which comprise activites related to employment as well as psychological, legal and social councelling necessary to leave violent relationship. This comprehensive approach needs cooperation of employers, employment and training agencies with those providing legal, psychological and social assistance to women victims of violence.

Inovative in the project is:
1. selection of the target group
2. showing interdependance of domestic violence and women's functioning in the labour market;
3. identification of specific barriers and needs of women victims of domestic violence in the labour market and necessity to take it into consideration in all activities related to employment;
4. coordination of work of institutions providing assistance related to employment and of those helping women victims of domestic violence;
5. creation of integrated system addressing gender based discrimination in the labour market and violence against women;
6. use of creative and inovative methods (theater and other artistic activities as well as e-learning) in working with women victims of domestic violence aimed at improving their situation in the labour market.

Transnationality:
Domestic violence and gender based discrimination are widely spread phenomenon in Europe and all over the word. Transnational cooperation and partnership are necessary to address the issue from broader perspective. Sharing experiences in implementing various programmes as well as learning one from another is necessary to use effectively existing resources and tackle identified problems in the most effective way. We have found partners who have experience in developing comprehensive approaches in their work with victims of domestic violence and addressing their specific problems in the labour market.

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