During the 14th-19th May week entitled “Healthy Family – Healthy Ukraine” Novohrad-Volynskiy municipality has planned to disseminate wide-ranging information about the democratic family values and domestic violence prevention as a form of gender discrimination. The week’s activities are targeted at various community members and supported by the City Council and UNDP-led Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme.
In 2006, Novohrad-Volynskiy municipality used the model of awareness activities developed by UNDP/MGSDP to raise public awareness among local citizens on HIV/AIDS. Eventually, the MGSDP group’s approach to awareness activities has been praised as highly effective in raising the awareness within the much higher part of local population at lower cost. Therefore, this approach will be used to further disseminate information and build capacity of local counterparts in gender equality issues in 2007. These activities are in line with the Pan-European Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence launched by the Council of Europe in 2006.
“Recently the so-called ‘labour migration’ has become the reality in our municipality. Many women are leaving the city – both in legal and illegal ways – in their search for any jobs. They say that unemployment here has a female face. Almost half of newly-born families break up after 5 years of living together. The cases of family violence and cruelty in families keep appearing more and more often. All this generates family troubles and weakens the educative function of a family. Thus, there is a need to prepare gender-educated officials and volunteers for our city, which will allow more effective implementation of gender approach, considering the needs of both sexes for equal opportunities”, says Larysa Kapchynska, Head of the NGO School Network of Novohrad-Volynskiy.
In response to the current challenges, the local School and NGO Networks, Municipal Support Unit, the City Council and other local stakeholders selected the target groups from among local citizens and initiated a number of activities to build their capacity in gender issues and disseminate relevant information within local population, covering maximum members of local communities where possible. Particularly, the scheduled activities include:
Conducting questionnaire analysis of the local society to identify the local citizens’ perception of gender and its local dimensions.
Preparing and disseminating relevant information materials on gender.
Working with local media to highlight the gender-related activities in the municipality, and raise gender-related public awareness. In particular, the local TV channels will broadcast the video film “Who Will Sing the Lullaby?” to promote the idea of fathers looking after their babies, and the video film “Destination - Life” to prevent human trafficking and violence against women.
Conducting trainings and workshops to promote gender culture among youth, parents of the schoolchildren – representatives of the School Network’s members, future families and future parents.
Performing community spot-checks (into the living conditions of children in crisis families; and of the trade points to identify the video- and audio production propagating violence, cruelty and sexual dissoluteness).
Organising a public outreach event – Race “Healthy Family – Healthy Ukraine”.
The week officially opened today with a press-conference for the local media. The participants included Valentyna Tytyanevych, Deputy Mayor, Larysa Shutova, Head of the City Centre for Social Services for Children, Family and Youth, Iryna Hudz, Head of the Municipal Support Unit, Olena Ursu, Monitoring and Communications expert of UNDP/MGSDP, as well as other stakeholders whose activities are closely related with gender issues. “Everything in our life, especially the issues related to educating some basic values of democratic human relationships, starts in families. To prevent negative phenomena among youth and in our society in general, we need to pay special attention to cherishing the values of democratic families”, said Valentyna Tytyanevych, Novohrad-Volynskiy Deputy Mayor, speaking at the press-conference.
UNDP/MGSDP wishes to thank a UNDP-led Equal Opportunities Programme for their invaluable support in providing the local activists and organisers with information bulletins “Equality for Democracy” and strengthening their capacity in gender equality issues.
In 2006, Novohrad-Volynskiy municipality used the model of awareness activities developed by UNDP/MGSDP to raise public awareness among local citizens on HIV/AIDS. Eventually, the MGSDP group’s approach to awareness activities has been praised as highly effective in raising the awareness within the much higher part of local population at lower cost. Therefore, this approach will be used to further disseminate information and build capacity of local counterparts in gender equality issues in 2007. These activities are in line with the Pan-European Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence launched by the Council of Europe in 2006.
“Recently the so-called ‘labour migration’ has become the reality in our municipality. Many women are leaving the city – both in legal and illegal ways – in their search for any jobs. They say that unemployment here has a female face. Almost half of newly-born families break up after 5 years of living together. The cases of family violence and cruelty in families keep appearing more and more often. All this generates family troubles and weakens the educative function of a family. Thus, there is a need to prepare gender-educated officials and volunteers for our city, which will allow more effective implementation of gender approach, considering the needs of both sexes for equal opportunities”, says Larysa Kapchynska, Head of the NGO School Network of Novohrad-Volynskiy.
In response to the current challenges, the local School and NGO Networks, Municipal Support Unit, the City Council and other local stakeholders selected the target groups from among local citizens and initiated a number of activities to build their capacity in gender issues and disseminate relevant information within local population, covering maximum members of local communities where possible. Particularly, the scheduled activities include:
Conducting questionnaire analysis of the local society to identify the local citizens’ perception of gender and its local dimensions.
Preparing and disseminating relevant information materials on gender.
Working with local media to highlight the gender-related activities in the municipality, and raise gender-related public awareness. In particular, the local TV channels will broadcast the video film “Who Will Sing the Lullaby?” to promote the idea of fathers looking after their babies, and the video film “Destination - Life” to prevent human trafficking and violence against women.
Conducting trainings and workshops to promote gender culture among youth, parents of the schoolchildren – representatives of the School Network’s members, future families and future parents.
Performing community spot-checks (into the living conditions of children in crisis families; and of the trade points to identify the video- and audio production propagating violence, cruelty and sexual dissoluteness).
Organising a public outreach event – Race “Healthy Family – Healthy Ukraine”.
The week officially opened today with a press-conference for the local media. The participants included Valentyna Tytyanevych, Deputy Mayor, Larysa Shutova, Head of the City Centre for Social Services for Children, Family and Youth, Iryna Hudz, Head of the Municipal Support Unit, Olena Ursu, Monitoring and Communications expert of UNDP/MGSDP, as well as other stakeholders whose activities are closely related with gender issues. “Everything in our life, especially the issues related to educating some basic values of democratic human relationships, starts in families. To prevent negative phenomena among youth and in our society in general, we need to pay special attention to cherishing the values of democratic families”, said Valentyna Tytyanevych, Novohrad-Volynskiy Deputy Mayor, speaking at the press-conference.
UNDP/MGSDP wishes to thank a UNDP-led Equal Opportunities Programme for their invaluable support in providing the local activists and organisers with information bulletins “Equality for Democracy” and strengthening their capacity in gender equality issues.
