2015 / 2016 - Coordinated efforts – Toward new European standards in protection of women from gender based violence (II phase of the project implementation)

Project duration: 24 months (2015/2016)

Project is funded by: European Union under the IPA programme – Civil Society Facility Framework Partnership Agreements

Overall objective is to contribute to the establishment of comprehensive legal and policy solutions for protection against violence in the Western Balkans, as conditions for the realisation of democracy, human rights, social inclusion and harmonisation with EU values.


Specific objective is increasing capacities of women's organisations and networks in 4 Western Balkan (WB) countries for analyses, monitoring and advocacy in the field of protection of women from gender based violence, through long-term regional cooperation and learning from EU experience.

Framework for the project activities is the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

Expected results of the project:

  1. Established dialogue between 6 women's organisations/ networks and at least 70 key decision makers on the harmonisation of national laws and measures of protection of GBV victims with the Council of Europe Convention.
  2. Strengthened capacities of at least 23 local women's organisations for representing rights of women and monitoring measures of protection from GBV and social inclusion at the local level.
  3. Established system for comprehensive monitoring of the implementation of legal and policy solutions related to CoE Convention, by women's CSO networks.

Main groups of activities:

  1. Public awareness raising campaign on women’s rights to protection against gender based violence.
  2. Organizing conferences, public discussions and informing media.
  3. Advocacy for changes and amendments to laws and adoption of policies in accordance with the CoE Convention (drafting policy proposals and amendments to laws).
  4. Representing rights of women survivors of gender based violence, supporting women in self-representation of rights, monitoring implementation of local policies on protection of violence and social inclusion, proposing solutions.
  5. Establishing interactive database on situation in field of gender based violence in relation to standards set by the CoE Convention.
  6. Monitoring implementation of the CoE Convention and reporting to relevant national and international bodies.

Data about the I phase of the project could be found on this link.