On the 17th to 18th of November 2009 The Åland Islands Peace Institute held a network meeting, financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers, for partners from Lithuania, Belarus and Russia, in Mariehamn, Åland. The aim of the meeting was to gain and share knowledge in the field of prevention of trafficking and other forms of gender based violence. Partners agreed that the global financial crisis has had a negative impact on women in all countries and increased their economic and social vulnerability. Karelian Center for Gender Studies presented the results of a media analysis studying the references to questions related to gender equality, trafficking and gender based violence in the official and popular media in Lithuania, Belarus and Russia. A common thing in all the countries is that articles related to gender equality usually are relatively short and do not get central position in the layout of the newspaper/magazine. Besides, articles that focus on the issue of violence against women as a rule do not include any information about the phenomenon itself or the organisations that work in providing assistance to the victims. More information can be found at www.peace.ax.
Read about network meeting here.
