Duration: 1st September 2019 – 31st August 2021

Aim of the project: to reinforce the response to gender-based violence and to ensure its prevention in local communities.

Objectives of the project:

• to develop and implement multi-agency algorithm on effective institutional intervention in cases of gender-based violence at local level;
• to build the teachers‘ and schools‘ personnel capacity to eliminate prevailing gender norms, which contribute to justification and normalization of gender-based violence;
• to raise awareness about gender-based violence in local communities and enhance a primary prevention of gender-based violence.

Main responsibilities:

• Carrying out a research on domestic violence in local communities.
• Working with local experts and creating an algorithm for coordinated response to the cases of domestic violence.
• Strengthening local specialists‘ ability to recognize the victims of domestic violence and professionally assist them, providing all the help needed.
• Organizing discussions about perfecting the algorithm and sharing the experience of applying it.
• Studying the outlook on gender stereotypes and gender-based violence in local schools.
• Training teachers and staff members of school administration to recognize gender-based violence, intervene and prevent it.
• Establishing “Equality Labs“ in local schools. Together with the expert team, these proactive school communities will develop strategic violence prevention plans, ensure their implementation and longevity.
• Creating teaching material for teachers “A School without Gender Stereotypes“.
• Arranging a Forum Theatre activity and generating interactive plays for school communities.
• Organizing awareness raising activities in schools.
• Preparing recommendations for the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
• Carrying out a survey about recognition of domestic violence, victim blaming and normalization of gender-based violence in local communities.
• Organizing awareness raising campaigns for the residents of municipalities.
• Running awareness raising campaigns for a broad range of specialists, who provide help to the victims of domestic violence.
• Preparing a teaching tool and a methodology, both of which would include documentary films about domestic violence. Also, adding additional audiovisual material to “Inconvenient Films“ educational programme to make the methodology accessible for all the teachers across Lithuania.
• Organizing educational and informational Inconvenient Films events in municipalities in Lithuania.
• Organizing a national conference for the representatives of municipalities, national authorities, academic communities and non-governmental organizations.

These actions will be taken in three pilot municipalities in Lithuania: Alytus, Jonava and Ukmergė districts. The project will be presented to other municipalities and the legislative assembly as the best practice in changing behaviors that support zero tolerance to gender-based violence.

Project partners: Centre for Equality Advancement, Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights and the social advertising agency Nomoshiti.

Co-funded by Justice Programme of the European Union (contract with European Commission, No. 856741 – LGKT_GBV – REC-AG-2018/REC-RDAP-GBV-AG-2018).