Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Awareness Raising on Gender Issues – Three Days of Education and Engagement Activities for the Refugee Community

Symbiosis-School of Political Studies in Greece organised three days of education and engagement activities on Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Awareness Raising on Gender Issues from 21 to 23 July 2021 at the ‘Agia Eleni’ Open Refugee Camp in Ioannina, with the participation of twenty (20) adult refugee and migrant men.

The main objective of the programme has been to encourage participants to challenge their reflection on the topics of gender roles, self-care, social relations, gender-based violence prevention, and masculinity. The three-day programme included presentations by experts on gender issues, interactive exercises and discussion sessions in which participants were actively involved, offered refugees and migrants the opportunity to acquire knowledge, discuss different approaches, identify the most critical needs and to consciously reflect on their own role model function and influence within their family and cultural community and to shape relationships between adults and children that are characterized by mutual respect. A further core objective was the development of competencies that would allow participants to deal with violent situations, including the recognition of potentially violent situations early on and dealing with them in a non-violent way.

The programnme covered topics such as gender equality; gender-based violence, legal dimensions and prevention; masculinity; legal and institutional framework in Greece, social and interpersonal relationships; migration and asylum; and self-care. Participants shared their feedback and personal experiences regarding gender issues from their country of origin, during their travel and in the host country.