Strumica/Prilep/Gostivar, 30 March 2023 - The campaign “There is help for life without violence” continues with nine local events in three municipalities across the country – Strumica, Prilep, and Gostivar, promoting prevention and support services for women victims of domestic violence through discussions and informing at the local level.
Two meetings were held in Gostivar, attended by around 50 participants from different backgrounds and institutions. The representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Center for Social Affairs, as well as the psycho-social and legal practice, which provide protection and support to women victims, discussed about the services available to women victims of gender-based and domestic violence.
Photo credit: UNFPA North Macedonia
A representative of the Center for Social Affairs, a religious leader and school psychologist, spoke at the second meeting, and the participants actively participated in the discussion and got involved with their own questions.
The local event in Prilep was held in the presence of women from the Roma population, who got acquainted with the work of the institutions, organizations and private practices that can help to escape the cycle of violence.
At the meeting held in Strumica, however, the need for campaigns to raise public awareness was discussed, since violence is not only a problem for women, but it is also a societal challenge.
The campaign was launched in July 2022 through events with the residents of the Suto Orizari municipality and a social media campaign, followed by events in Gostivar, Strumica and Prilep with a focus on the vulnerable categories of population. These meetings are part of the “There is help for life without violence” campaign, which promotes the services available to women and girls victims of domestic and gender-based violence within the project “Prevention and protection against gender-based violence in North Macedonia”, which is implemented by the United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and financially supported by the British Embassy in Skopje.
