03.11.14 – the first meeting of the month was held in Kutaisi in school No 6 of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic, after Zhiuli Shartava.
The meeting was attended by 17 girls and boys: open, interesting speakers, informed…The discussion was interesting, the boys were especially active, who showed their negative attitude towards the violence.
There is a public club in school with 20 active pupils in it. They are used to express their opinion and prove it. They know lots of things about actual problems. It was obvious during the meeting.
Beka Tsilosani: “Why do the men think that they become stronger, if they beat a woman, I cannot understand it. Woman is much stronger than the man, but she most of all needs caring and warmth, if we want to have real family.”
05.11.14 – The second meeting was held in Tskaltubo, School No1 with participation of 23 pupils. They had sincere conversation.
One of the boys mentioned: “Theoretically I know how to live in harmony with my wife, but I don’t how it will be done in practice”.
Stereotypes are still very strong – similar meetings time to time change views and opinions of the youth.
06.11.14 – The meeting in Khoni WSC was attended by 13 youth. It was obvious that the issue is actual for them, they know lots of things about this problem.
“We have many examples of domestic violence. The women are passive, I can’t understand when they justify themselves saying that they have no place to go” – mentioned one of the participants. The second remembered a fact of domestic violence, when the neighbor called police, the women refused and blamed the neighbor.
There are lots of interesting discussions among the youth, which promotes to changing of their awareness.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt – Evangelischer Entwicklunsdienst (Germany)
Ordinary informational meeting was held on Nikea Street (former cooperation enterprise). There are 75 IDP and 6 local families in rehabilitated building. As the meeting participants mentioned, the building is in the possession of IDPs, as for the local families, who reside there with several reasons (disaster, fire), they ask to transfer the living spaces into their possession.
It was mentioned that, the part of the building has no balconies, there is no green cover in the yard, play-ground for children, and entrance road is damaged. The IDPs ask the majoritarian candidate, member of Kutaisi GAC – Irma Petriashvili, to solve mentioned problems.
The meeting with journalists was divided into three parts.
First of all they attended signing of memorandum between the City Hall of Ozurgeti, Sakrebulo and the fund “Sukhuni”.
After that in the room of the GAC of Ozurgeti Sakrebulo, the conversation touched the role of journalists, concrete materials, which will promote establishment of gender policy.
At the end the journalists took a photo of solidarity with the slogan: “the woman has right to live without violence”. The journalists were joined by the members of the GAC.
At the end of the last year, the memorandum of collaboration was signed between the fund “Sukhumi” and Sakrebulo of Ozurgeti Municipality. On October 31the memorandum was signed between the City Hall of Ozurgeti, Sakrebulo and our organization.
It was mentioned that this is a new phase of already existing joint activities and defines the support of gender policy establishment by the sides on local level. The stress was made on necessity of collaboration between public sector and local authority to direction of gender equality.
The lawyer of the fund “Sukhumi” conducted informational meeting in Kutaisi, in the Hotel “Kolkheti”. The participants of the meeting received information regarding the competence of local self-government and participant of the citizens in implementation of local government.
According the request of the IDPs residing in these collective centers, the statement to the Mayor of Kutaisi was made regarding roofing the building. They decided that after this statement they will address competent bodies for solution of other problems (clean the cellar pump out the water, put in order the entrance of the building) – even by co-financing.
The meetings of Kutaisi Gender Advisory Council (GAC) with the members of Sakrebulo continue.
On October 27-29 The GAC members met the chairpersons and the members of different fractions and commissions: Teimuraz Kikvadze, Giorgi Kobaliani, Kakhaber Dvalishvili,Besik Gabadadze and Amiran Dzotsenidze.
Sakrebulo members listened to the information aout a work of the GAC. According to them the GAC promotes establishment of gender policy. They expressed readiness for collaboration.
In October 8 group and 3 individual meetings with the psychologist were held in collective centers of Kutaisi, attended by 62 women from 20 to 63 years old.
The topic of meeting: What is the most important in achieving harmony in family and keeping it?
“Peace is not reached by the power, it comes only after understanding each other” – A, Ainshtain. The nature of men and women is different and this difference fill each other.
Rima, 56 years old: nothing will happen without love.
Ilona: 51years old: neither husband, nor wife are possessions of each other. Warmth, flexibility, confidence kindness – all this make harmony in family.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt – Evangelischer Entwicklunsdienst (Germany)
The WSCs of Kutaisi, Khoni, Tskaltubo, Khurcha, Poti and Senaki joined the campaign against murdering the women. The mobilizers and activists of WSCs organized meetings, where they discussed the reasons, existing situation and problems, which are faced by the victim women.
At the end of the meeting the women expressed their attitude by the slogans: “no – to killing women”! “Women have right to live”! “protect the women from violence”!.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt – Evangelischer Entwicklunsdienst (Germany)
WSCs one again claim that violence next to us still exist. Moreover, the problem became more painful, as a result of violence more than 20 women are kileed in different regions of Georgia.
That’s why the WSCs of Kutaisi, Khoni, Tskaltubo, Senaki, Poti and Khurcha devoted mobilization meetings of October to the issues of violence.
The participants mentioned:
“I want my daughter to live more fruitful life than I do, I do not want her to be the victim of violence”.
“It is enough what happens”!
“the women have right to live”!
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt – Evangelischer Entwicklunsdienst (Germany)
The members of Batumi GAC once again gathered in the City Hall. First of all they objected the facts of violation and mentioned that each parson must be separated from violation. There was a question: “What shall we confront to this socially ugly phenomenon”? it was said that lack of informing is motivation of violence, here also was discussion of changes in the law through this direction and about activities, which should be implemented on the local level.
The council meeting summarized the recommendations to be presented to the Sakrebulo on the basis of research. The projects and programs were discussed and their integrity in the local budget is planned. The advocacy issues were chosen.
The project is implemented with the support of the U.S. Department of State
Ordinary meeting of the fund “Sukhumi” was held in the State University of Batumi. The students familiarized with the work of the women organization, Batumi Voter Women’s Club, Gender Advisory Council and expressed the will of collaboration.
It was mentioned that the students have number of problems – more support is needed from the side of government for their activation.
The students, together with the members of Batumi GAC, took part in the action against women violation, organized by the fund “Sukhumi”.
The same day, the members of Batumi VWC met the chairperson of the Infrastructure development
Commission of Batumi Municipality Sakrebulo – Lasha Sirabidze. With his assistance, the problem of lightning of the Leonidze Street No 15, will be solved in the nearest future.
The project is implemented with the support of the U.S. Department of State
The first issue of the meeting was initiatives of the GACs. The letter for Sakrebulo chairperson was prepared, regarding involving one of council members in competition-attestation work of choosing public officials.
The council members continued elaboration of documents, defining local gender policy. This activity was started on the training in Ureki. The document is local action plan of reaching gender equality.
The discussion was carried out regarding local budget monitoring considering gender aspects, which will be carried out by the council members in October. After monitoring they will elaborate recommendations and suggestions for local self-governments, in order to envisage gender aspects in budget programs.
The meeting of the GAC was devoted to elaboration of gender equality plan, which will be the basis for conducting local gender policy. The priorities were given to the spheres of education, healthcare, the stress was made on creation of gender mechanisms and their strengthening.
The chairperson of the council – Lela Natsvaladze mentioned that the chairpersons of city and municipality had an initiative to select candidatures of gender advisors from the composition of the GAC.
The assistants of the fund “Sukhumi” conducted three more trainings on: “Ethics, esthetics and sexual education”.
The meeting in Poti was attended by 14 people, young mothers among them. The discussion was interesting and active. As it was mentioned, talking on similar issue positively effects on consciousness. Ethics and esthetics is a mirror of a family, sexual education is delicate issue, which needs its specifics.
The meeting in Koki was mainly attended by the pupils of 11-th grade. By the opinion of one of them: “ethics and esthetics are attractive habits and they are indicators of communicativeness and intellectuality”.
Pupils of the public school No 1 of Senaki were active. Interesting discussion was held. The issues of ethics and esthetics were very interesting for the meeting participants. As for sexual education, it was mentioned that the issue is sensitive, which does not need public discussion.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt – Evangelischer Entwicklunsdienst (Germany)
The meeting with Senaki Journalists was carried out in different format – they were invited to the Club of Voter Women, in order to give them opportunity to reflect gender issues, the problems of IDPs.
The meeting was attended by the deputies of Sakrebulo, which made the discussion more active and constructional.
There was held a presentation of the journal of the fund “Sukhumi” – “Gender Advisory Councils”. The journal was issued at the end of the first project year. Together with other materials, there are also the articles regarding collaboration of a Senaki WVC and the journalists.
First of all, meeting with the representatives of all media sources in Kutaisi
Then business details of the meeting: sharing experiences, making gender accents and own plans…
The journalists, who gathered in the fund “Sukhumi” see and feel gender/social demand and actively work in this direction.
The newly published journal-report “Gender Advisory Councils”, in which one of the articles was devoted to the journalist from Kutaisi, the member of Kutaisi GAC – Nana Robakidze and the other one – regarding the specifics of the work with journalists in Kutaisi, Senaki and Ozurgeti.
On October 8-9 the 11-th meeting of Kutaisi GAC was held.
The meeting was devoted to reveal priorities from final version of the package of the suggestions and recommendations elaborated after the analysis of local gender needs.
13 out of 50 recommendations were chosen for envisaging in 2015 budget. The priorities were made on reflecting gender aspects in pre-school educational program and effective implementation of the program, supporting of small business programs, envisaging gender aspects, health programs, gender balancing of sport.
