As many as 48 women with disabilities or mothers with children with disabilities from Strășeni and Fălești districts benefitted from psychological counseling and training in combating violence and discrimination as part of the project “Accept disability, not yet violence” that is implemented by “Motivație” Association. In a news conference hosted by IPN, project coordinator Natalia Codrean said the goal of the seminars and psychological counseling meetings is to encourage the women with disabilities to efficiently communicate with the authorities and to seek rights, IPN reports.
The project “Accept disability, not yet violence” forms part of the program “EU 4 Gender Equality: Together Against Gender Stereotypes and Gender-Based Violence” (EU4GE) that is financed by the European Union and is implemented together with UN Women and UNFPA.
“We had information and motivation sessions for women with disabilities and mothers with children with disabilities and, as a result of these, 48 women from the two target districts learned to demand rights and to efficiently communicate with the authorities. Also, as part of the project we held sessions to strengthen leadership. As a result, 48 women with disabilities and mothers with children with disabilities were encouraged to become actively involved in the community and to realize their potential,” stated Natalia Codrean.
A part of the participants combined forces and created initiative groups that worked out action plans. The list of necessary promoting activities in the two districts include the supporting of persons with disabilities for them to become decision makers at the local level, organization in schools of training sessions centering on the fight against stereotypes and discrimination against persons with disabilities for teachers, students and parents, creation of support services for persons with severe disabilities, creation of high-quality services for persons with psychosocial disorders.
“Local-level initiative groups were constituted. Two initiative groups were strengthened – one in Strășeni and another one in Fălești. The women who created these groups designed action plans by which they could change things to the better. Within the project, we also had individual and group psychological counseling services that were provided by two specialists in the field,” noted the project coordinator.
“Psychological counseling services were offered not only to women, but also to men who are either with disabilities or look after persons with disabilities, working as personal assistants in the family. The men are more inhibited. They are not used to talk about their feelings. When we came with this opportunity, they first hesitated, but then changed their opinion. Working with them, we saw that any person experiences difficulties. We discussed with these men the role of the family, aspects related to violence and method of avoiding them,” stated “Motivație” psychologist Natalia Popov.
The Public Association “Motivație” is one of the 20 NGOs from the Eastern Partnership countries that received grants for implementing innovatory initiatives to fight gender discrimination.
Note: IPN News Agency gives the right of reply to persons who consider they were touched by the news items produced based on statements of the organizers of the given news conference, including by facilitating the organization of another news conference in similar conditions.
