About the project
The project has the mission of combating domestic and gender violence by creating a safe framework for respecting the principle of equal opportunities in pre-university education, by offering the necessary tools to teachers, social workers and children and by developing materials and interventions that can be taken over at the level of county institutions involved.
The aim of the project is to create a framework for respecting the right to education, equal, non-violent and without discrimination based on gender treatment.
The project, carried out over a period of 22 months (May 2022 – February 2024), will create a space for dialogue between education experts, political decision-makers, professionals from the non-governmental environment at the national level, and parents, students, teachers and school directors from 20 schools that present a high risk of dropping out, low pass rate, poor academic results, violence, having students from single-parent families or difficult family situations.
,
Methodology for the prevention and elimination of gender-based violence
Violence destroys lives, causes suffering, which can affect the people involved for the rest of their lives.
Violence is a violation of fundamental human rights, a cause and a consequence of inequality. Violence leads to the degradation of physical and mental health, and the trauma suffered can affect generations in a row, being transmitted including genetically from parents to children.
Gender-based violence is a crime, a serious violation of human rights and one of the most widespread forms of gender-based inequality, where it is rooted and which it reinforces. This phenomenon causes enormous harm to women, children, families, communities and societies.
In the scenario where violence against children manifests, one of the constant points of interaction of minors with the state is the school. In this direction, Law no. 217 of 2003, for the prevention and combating of domestic violence, through article 10, describes the role of the Ministry of Education and Research in addressing this problem, a role that includes the introduction into the curriculum implemented in the classroom of learning activities on topics such as equal opportunities and treatment between women and men, mutual respect, non-violent resolution of conflicts in interpersonal relationships, gender-based violence and the right to personal integrity, as well as combating discriminatory stereotypes based on gender roles, adapted to the age and understanding of the students.
The same law provides that judges, prosecutors, police representatives, non-governmental organizations, as well as public institutions active in the field can carry out extracurricular activities in pre-university education, on topics related to domestic violence.
The main barrier in the implementation of this legislative framework is the lack of an accredited curriculum for conducting interventions in the classroom by teachers. This lack will constantly create, until it is removed, victims of violence, beyond the manifesto against it and beyond the law in force.
From challenge to solution
What are we doing in this project?
Between January 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020, the General Directorates of Social Assistance and Child Protection registered 10,656 cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation against minors, of which in Iași -463, Bacău -514, Vaslui -198, Botoșani -291 , Suceava –444, Galati -496, Vrancea -237, Neamt -266.
Unfortunately, in this scenario, victims of domestic violence most often come from vulnerable backgrounds and know very little about the services available to them or lack the legal knowledge to defend their rights, which prevents them from go to court.
Thus, we choose to intervene:
- We develop active citizenship skills, non-discriminatory treatment based on gender roles, for education and NGO professionals, students and parents;
- In the curriculum implemented in the classroom, we introduce learning activities on topics such as equal opportunities and treatment between women and men, mutual respect, non-violent resolution of conflicts in interpersonal relationships, gender violence and the right to personal integrity, as well as combating discriminatory stereotypes that they are based on gender roles, adapted to the age and understanding of the students;
- We establish the applicable procedure by the county school inspectorates for the urgent, temporary transfer of children who are victims or witnesses of domestic violence to the school unit recommended by the institutions that provide social services to prevent and combat domestic violence;
- We develop, with the support of the other ministries involved and in collaboration with non-governmental organizations active in the field, educational programs for teachers, parents and children, in order to prevent domestic violence, harassment and sexual violence, including school-community-family partnerships;
- We create, test and disseminate a curriculum, used in the classroom by the 60 trained teaching staff, which facilitates activities on topics such as equal opportunities and equal treatment, mutual respect, non-violent resolution of conflicts in interpersonal relationships, violence gender and combating gender stereotypes and discriminatory stereotypes based on gender roles;
- We accredit the course based on the created curriculum, which contributes to the development of human rights-related competencies.
Increasingly, both in the community and at school, teachers, social workers are faced with student violence, and sometimes specialized intervention is needed to reduce conflicts or the fateful results of violence.
What is to be done in a situation that is out of control or over which there is no control?
What are the steps to follow in case of abuse? What do you do if you witness an act of violence?
The secrets of violence that children keep, often for life, don’t have to be secrets! Having the right to life is normal. Having the right to a life without violence is necessary to be normality! What can we do?
The guide “The teacher’s role in handling cases of abuse” is available for download.
PROJECT CARRIED OUT BY TEACH FOR ROMANIA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NECUVINTE ASSOCIATION
.
.
The project is carried out by the Teach for Romania Association in partnership with the Necuvinte Association and benefits from funding in the amount of 149,424.20 euros, through the Active Citizens Fund Romania program, financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021. The content of this website does not necessarily represent the official position of the EEA and Norwegian Grants 2014-2021; for more information go to www.eeagrants.org. Information about Active Citizens Fund Romania is available at www.activecitizensfund.ro.