Women's Desk

Women’s Desk

 

Prevention of illegal migration of the labor force and of trafficking in human beings is the major concern for Women’s Desk in AIDRom.

Through the two main programs, the working team is trying to increase the level of knowledge among women and young people about the impact of EU integration on the labor market, equal opportunities and gender mainstreaming at national and European level.

 

In the beginning of 2008, the working team together with its partners in the programs, made a research regarding the situation of women in the high-risk regions of the country: Iasi County, Jiu Valley and DâmboviÅ£a County.

During the interviews, the working group tried to identify the most important problems that affect the everyday life of the people:

There were identified common issues that affected the communities, but also common complaints regarding the involvement of state and local authorities, such as:

-          high unemployment  rate

-          lack of initiatives of the local authorities

-          lack of information regarding job opportunities in the region

-          lack of information about the possibility of building small family business

-          lack of self esteem of the people, etc.

 

Another major problem that the Romanian society has been facing was the increasing of the number of children left home alone. The phenomenon of labour migration started in 2007 and arrived to alarm quotations in 2008.

 

According to the Official Statistics of the National Agency for Child Protection, in June 2008 – about 100.000 children were left home (with relatives or neighbors) by their parents who are working in other countries

 

 

Aprox. 35.000 children with ages between 10 and 14 years have both parents working abroad. 34% of them have not been seeing their parents over 2 years, and 54% over 1 year.

The social effects are already visible: school abandon, drug addiction, potential victims of trafficking for different purposes: begging, sexual exploitation, etc.

 

 

Lack of jobs, poverty, marginalization, violence, and open risks as trafficking, the work on the black market, discrimination and drugs are barriers on our way to a democratic state and to Europe

Women are facing problems emerged from the complex process of EU integration and especially due to gender inequalities and old mentality on gender roles in society.

Preventing and prosecuting domestic violence are imperative in the Romanian society, especially now, when Europe is facing a new wave of violence.

 

The role of Churches or Church related NGOs in Romania is to help the people in need and to identify the cases of violation of human rights.

Through its mandate, AIDRom is representing the Christian Churches from Romania, implementing projects in the fields of education, diaconia, human rights and sustainable development

 

AIDRom and its local and international partners developed programmes to approach these issues. Main goals are information, raising awareness on human rights, legislation, equal opportunities, prevention of discrimination, violence and trafficking in human beings as well as reintegration of victims and women at risk. Christian values are the key principles in education society at large. AIDRom carries out these projects in close cooperation with donors and partners from Romania and the region.

 

Target Groups:

• Women and children, victims or potential victims of domestic violence, trafficking in human beings, discrimination in the labour market, marginalized people
• Leaders of opinion (priests, teachers, trade unions, NGOs, employers, media representatives) and field workers
• State and local authorities.

 

Overall Objectives:

• Raising awareness on human rights, citizenship, labour rights, labor migration, equal opportunities, participation at governance, fighting against risks, discrimination, promoting of Christian values, focused on women issues.
• Information and education of the society at large, focusing on Christian values and ecumenism.
• Reintegration of victims of discrimination, violence, trafficking in human beings.
• Social inclusion of migrants.

 

Specific Objectives:

• To increase the level of information on all forms of exploitation and violence (trafficking in women and children for sexual exploitation, labour exploitation and other different hidden forms of exploitation), as a method of prevention.
• To raise awareness in the origin countries as well as in the destination countries (EU Member States) about the new forms of exploitation,
• To support victims of  trafficking within the social vocational reintegration program in the origin countries (Romania, Republic of Moldova)
• To increase the capacity of  state institutions, churches and NGOs to address the problem of trafficking, both in prevention activities and in assisting victims
• To inform and orientate people concerning working conditions and equal opportunities on labour rights: 4 counseling centers : Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj, Hunedoara 
• To offer advice and support in solving different problems raising out at working place. 
• To offer support for social inclusion of the Romanian migrants who wants to come back in Romania

 

 

Programmes:

• SENSE - a programme for Prevention of Human Trafficking
• Equal Opportunities and Labour Rights
• Prevention of Domestic Violence against Women and Children
• Migration and Development