21-03-2024 11:35
How children and their parents should react in cases of violence was the topic of today's emergency hour with a psychologist at the school ‘Hristo Botev’ in the village of. Botevo, Tundzha municipality.
The work of psychologists in the field with people from the Roma community in small settlements on the recognition of domestic violence based on gender was the main focus of the project ‘Re-Action’, implemented by the association ‘Euroclub Woman’ with manager Tatiana Balakchieva and funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism (NFM) last year.
The large-scale information campaign in the municipalities of Tundzha, Straldzha and Bolyarovo included group discussions with a psychologist, in which a total of 120 children and their parents participated, on how to recognize forms of violence, including at school and on the Internet. Four SOS offices have been set up to provide psychological, social and personal development support in schools without a full-time psychologist, as well as a summer camp for students from vulnerable communities.
‘We see how the government, the NGO sector and the local authorities work together, consolidated and looking in the same direction in the implementation of activities related to the prevention of domestic violence,’ Borislav Ganchev, Head of the Justice Programme of the NFM and Head of the Office of the Minister of Justice, said at the closing conference of the project.
He identified the work of psychologists in smaller marginalised communities as key to tackling this socially sensitive issue.
In the words of Stancho Stavrev, mayor of the municipality of Tundzha, which is a partner in the project, often in small communities the topic of violence is not recognized. ‘The debate here today shows that the project has a high added value to policies at local and national level’, Stavrev added.
The project also published a handbook ‘Women Safe at Work’. It is aimed at both employees and company owners, the chairman of the Yambol Chamber of Commerce and Industry Stoycho Stoychev explained.