The project “Challenging Gender Roles for Prevention of Trafficking” managed by the Åland Island Peace Institute in Finland and Resource Center for Women Marta in Latvia, is now entering in its final year and can account for 48 trained leaders and 21 new girl and boy groups in Åland and Latvia. In total,
On 15th of January deepening training for the girl and boy group leaders were held on Åland within the project “Challenging Gender Roles for Prevention of Trafficking”. The project is implemented in close partnership with Riga-based Resource Center for Women “Marta” and aims to implementing the unique Nordic Girl and Boy Group method, which provide self worth and autonomy, empowerment and equality among youths.
The project’s Steering Group has received two new members, Peter Soderstrom, expert on masculinity issues, from Sweden, and Gun-Mari Lindholm, second deputy speaker of the Parliament of Åland and a member of the parliamentary working group on civil security and anti-trafficking in BSPC (Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference / Baltic MPs).
The Åland Islands Peace Institute has recruited two new staff members within the project Challenging Gender Roles for Prevention of Trafficking. Since December 13 2010 Jenny Jonstoij is the new Manager of the project. Jenny was born on Åland and has previously worked within gender projects in Sweden, among others
Twenty-one girl and boy groups have started on Åland and in Latvia and more groups are on the way. These girls and boys groups are part of the cross border project called “Challenging Gender Stereotypes for Prevention of Trafficking ” between ÅIPI and the Resource Center for Women “Marta”, in Riga (Latvia), which highlights the importance of youth empowerment as a tool for promoting more respectful gender relations and thereby reducing the risk of gender based crime.
Resource Centre for Women “Marta’s” social campaign “Buy a Girl – Save the State!” was organized with the aim to prevent trafficking in human beings and start a discussion in the society against legalisation of prostitution and for criminalizing the buyer of sexual services.
Red more about Martas’ description of the campaign.
September 3rd to 5th the Åland Islands Peace Institute organizes a training for boy- and girl group leaders on Åland. The education is carried out within the INTERREG IV A project entitled “Challenging Gender Stereotypes for Prevention of Trafficking “. The project is implemented in close partnership with Riga-based Resource Center for Women “Marta”, to work on implementing the unique Nordic Girl and Boy Group method, informing the wider audience about the importance of making the links between empowerment, gender equality and gender based crime, as well as scientifically researching the outcome.
The BG and GG groups provide the young people with a base from where they can form their own individual opinions on how to act and make choices in everyday life. Group work will lead to enhanced social skills and social networks, this strengthens the participants’ possibilities to become active citizens and reduces the risk of them being marginalized.
ÅIPI researcher Heidi Öst participated in July 2010 in a meeting about language issues in Crimea. The meeting was arranged within the framework of the Crimea Policy Dialogue Project, partly financed by the Finnish foreign ministry. After the meeting Heidi wrote an article that was published in both the Ålandic
Sunniva Hansson has a LL.M., and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Åland Islands Peace Institute The blog is written by the peace institute’s present or former staff, guest researchers, board members or invited guest writers. The opinions are the author’s own. Today (10 June 2010),
On the Autonomy Day the 9th of June the Director of the Åland Islands Peace Institute Sia Spiliopoulou-Åkermark will be receiving a €15,000 research grant from the Jubilee Fund of the Åland Autonomy. The grant is awarded annually, and is this year awarded to Docent Spiliopoulou-Åkermark for a research project concerning the viability and international significance of the Åland example in conflict solution.
