Challenging Gender roles for Prevention of Trafficking is a joint Åland-Latvian project aiming at combating stereotypical gender perceptions at a grass-root level in order to undermine conditions for development of gender related violence, human trafficking and sexual slavery.
The project is focusing on preventive work through empowerment of young girls and boys. The girl and boy group method is a Nordic model of direct work with young people aiming at strenghtening individuals, enhancing the participants’ possibilities to become active citizens and at the same time questioning prevailing gender stereotypes in order to achieve greater gender equality and a non-discriminatory setting for individual development.
Within the project girl- and boy group leaders are trained and encouraged to start new groups both on Åland and in Latvia. A team of researchers are assessing the effects of the method on self-esteem and perceptions of gender roles and expectations among the participants.
Another important part of the project is to inform the wider audience about the importance of making the links between empowerment, gender equality and gender based crime.
The Project is carried out by the Åland Islands Peace Institute, Åland, Finland, and the Resource Center for Women, Marta, Riga, Latvia from October 2009 until December 2011. The Project is financed within the framework of the INTERREG IV Programme of the European Regional Development Fund. National co-financing is kindly provided by the Government of Åland.
The Åland Islands Peace Institute conducts projects and research into peace and conflict issues in a broadly defined sense from the vantage-point of Åland and the special status that Åland enjoys under international law. The institute focuses on security, autonomy and minorities. The Peace Institute considers empowerment work as well as promoting equality, to be an important contribution to enhance the peresequites for peace and security.
Annually around 2,000 women from the Baltic States become victims of trafficking. Finland is one of the primary destination countries for many trafficking victims from Latvia. Gender inequality and gender stereotypes in both countries of origin and countries of destination provide a favourable environment for gender based crime. This is why the root causes of trafficking have to be dealt with in cross-border cooperation. An effective way of preventing trafficking is to adopt methods that help the young generation to resist the influence of traditional gender roles and to make their own choices based on knowledge, individual values and beliefs.
The project highlights the importance of youth empowerment as a tool for promoting more respectful gender relations and thereby reducing the risk of gender based crime.
Financing of the project:
The Project is financed within the framework of the INTERREG IV Programme of the European Regional Development Fund, as well as through the public contribution, which in total amounts to 655,871 € for the Project.
On Åland, the Peace Institute budget for INTERREG IV project equals to 336,184€, which consists of ERDF Funding 252,138€, making 75% ERDF support rate, and National co-financing makes 84,046€, which is kindly provided by the Government of Åland.
In Latvia, the Association Resource Centre for Women “Marta” has a budget of 319,684€, where ERDF contribution equals to 271,734€, and National public contribution makes 47,953€.
Contact information:
For more information, please contact Project Manager Jenny Jonstoij; jenny@peace.ax, +358 18 21910, mob. +358 457 343 95 88
