Ten projects and NGO initiatives have obtained funding ranging from €3,000 and €10,000, with the aim of carrying out various projects and initiatives by November which strengthen the work against gender-based violence and domestic violence, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Equality and Reforms stated.
The projects selected in the 'Together We Empower' programme, which the Parliamentary Secretariat said was launched by the Commission on gender-based violence and domestic violence, will involve 17 organisations as some of the projects will be carried out in partnerships.
Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg said that this funding programme of around €100,000 will continue to strengthen the synergy between the Commission and voluntary organisations while also giving a boost to an ongoing awareness and commitment campaign against domestic violence.
Buttigieg said that in this way, another measure of the third national strategy against domestic violence is being implemented, which she said the title of which is 'Uniting, Involving, Elevating'. She added that in this collaborative way, a difference can be made for a cultural change to change stereotypes and eradicate abusive relationships.
The Commissioner for Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence, Samantha Pace Gasan, said that the projects and initiatives that will benefit from this funding programme cover a wide range of areas and realities related to domestic violence. She commented that these include training for children, young people and the elderly, research on hate speech and prostitution, projects directly targeting persons who are the targets of gender-based violence, as well as specific initiatives with victims of domestic violence.
The Commissioner said that by carrying out these ten projects, the Commission will be working closely with the organisations involved to further spread awareness about the many aspects that can lead to domestic violence and how best to deal with various such situations.
The Parliamentary Secretariat stated that the chosen projects are the following:
Stop the Violence Leader Training: Empowering Girls to Speak Up - Malta Girl Guides
TAMA - TAMA
Safe Spaces, Strong Voices: Art for Empowerment - LGBTI+ Gozo in partnership with artists Abi MacLeod u Alda Bugeja
Be the Voice of Change: Shaping Positive Masculinity and Becoming an Active Bystander - Malta Women's Lobby in partnership with Men Against Violence and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ
Where Silence Holds - Dar Merħba Bik in partnership with Sejjaħli b'Ismi and the curator Elyse Tonna
Prostitution and Violence: Unpacking the Demand - Friends of Thouret Dar Hosea in partnership with Men Against Violence
Care-Community Action to Reduce Elderly Abuse - SOS Malta in partnership with Victim Support Malta
Breaking the Cycle: Empowering Change for Perpetrators of Domestic and Gender-Based Violence - YMCA Malta
Flimkien Kontra l-Vjolenza - Fondazzjoni Sagħtar
AURORA - Awakening Understanding, Reclaiming our Resilience and Autonomy - St Jeanne Antide Foundation