Refugees and asylum seekers who reach Europe after a very hard journey often leave a violent past behind. For women in particular, gender-based violence is often the reason why they leave their country; for those same women the risk is being exposed to violence even during the migration route in the central Mediterranean, with physical and psychological consequences. For this reason, UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), with our support and the collaboration of the Di.Re network (Donne in Rete contro la violenza), has activated an integrated program for the protection of refugee and asylum-seeking women victims of gender-based violence, to ensure protection, inclusion and access to quality support. Since 1950, UNHCR has protected the rights of millions of refugees, displaced and stateless peoplearound the world, working to ensure their right to asylum and let them be welcomed in another state after surviving violence, persecution, war or catastrophes in their own country. The project has two main goals: the first is to improve access to the anti-violence centers of the Di.Renetwork, the association that brings together 82 organizations in Italy managing over 100 anti-violence centers and more than 50 shelters, and can represent a point of support and fundamental help for refugee women. The second is to strengthen prevention and improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for refugee and asylum-seeking women in Sicily (first region in terms of number of arrivals), through training courses for the staff of reception facilities and family counseling centers, for NGO staff, for cultural mediators and for students enrolled in medical faculties. The aim is to achieve ever greater awareness and activate more targeted action on the phenomenon of gender-based violence, in order to better respond to the specific needs of women seeking asylum and refugees who are victims of violence. Details Country: Italy Association: Di.Re (Donne in Rete contro la violenza) Estimated beneficiaries: 445 refugee and asylum-seeking women victim of violence and 270 workers, mediators and doctors Contribution: up to euro 190.472 Period: 2021-2022
