Sui Generis School to empower parent women to fight gender-based violence

The "SuiGeneriSchool" project aims at preventing and combating gender-based violence (GBV), including domestic violence, and violence against children through actions of early detection, prevention and victims' support. The Action is directed to parent women, migrant women and young girls who are victims or potential victims of violence in the provinces of Palermo, Catania and Ragusa of the Sicilian Region (Italy). A specific attention is paid to situations emerged during Covid-19, with the realisation of 6 study circles on GBV in the context of Covid-19 and the collection of evidence and good practices in different EU countries of "counselling at a distance" during the pandemic. To reinforce the capacities and expertise of practitioners to interact with parent women with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, as well as to detect violence and to protect parent women and their children, a "Sui Generis" field School for practitioners and parent women is set up; 40 participants among practitioners and parent women will interact on GBV through blended learning trainings (WP 2) and will create a group of mutual-help at support of vulnerable women. Preventing GBV and domestic violence also depends on empowering women, therefore 60 participants among mothers and children will participate in a laboratory focused on social citizenship, sexual and reproductive health rights and needs, while 30 young women and girls will take part in a Life Skills training learning how to prevent GBV through peer education. Moreover, social violence and other trauma suffered by women will be addressed through Photolangage® methods (WP3). Finally, to raise awareness and to foster the social change to end GBV, a social change campaign is organised at regional level and in connection with similar initiatives in the EU. The social change campaign will also support women - local based group initiatives to challenge GBV through a Talent-up contest.