Aim of the training
The project of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) “Access to comprehensive care for women who use drugs in case of violence” aims to improve access to services for women who use drugs and experience violation of rights, gender-based violence/ intimate partner violence (further – violence). Often, harm reduction services may not be sufficient. Women may need temporary housing, psychosocial, and possibly psychiatric support, legal advice. The COVID-19 epidemic has exacerbated the need for these services.
The aim of the training is to assist harm reduction programs to respond to the needs of women who use drugs experiencing violence – to identify the needs of the women and respective response, identify cases where partnerships with other service providers are required, possible barriers for cooperation and opportunities to overcome them.
Representatives of organizations providing services to women who use drugs are invited to the training, including harm reduction organizations and service providers of psychosocial support for women experiencing violence.
Training program
The main components and topics of the training:
- Review of existing international recommendations on provision of psychosocial and legal support in cases of gender-based violence, including for women who use drugs;
- Analysis of specific needs of women who use drugs in case of violence;
- Major barriers to access services for women who use drugs in case of violence and how they can be addressed;
- The role and function of harm reduction and psychosocial support programs for women experiencing violence in supporting women who use drugs in case of violence;
- Discussion of specific practices of providing support to women who use drugs in partnership with shelters[1], psychosocial and legal service providers.
The program will be prepared jointly with a hired consultant to conduct the training, as well as in consultation with international experts and service providers in the EECA region.
When: the training will be held on 10, 11 and 14 December 2020 from 10 am to 2 pm EET (Vilnius/ Kiev time).
Registration: if you are interested in the training, please fill out the form following this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T3DFY2F by December 4, 2020. Only registered participants will receive a link to enter the online training. For questions related to registration for the training, please contact: m.sketre@harmreductioneurasia.org.
Where: ZOOM platform. All registered participants will receive a link to the email address indicated in the registration form before the training.
Language: Russian with translation into English.
The training is organized by the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association within the framework of the project “Access to comprehensive care for women who use drugs in case of violence”. The project is implemented by the EHRA Secretariat within the funding through the COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria received in addition to the Multicountry project “Sustainability of services for key populations in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region” (aka # SoS_project), carried out with the Public Health Alliance in 14 countries of the CEECA region.
[1] By the word “Shelter” EHRA means any institution that can serve as a temporary shelter for a woman who uses drugs in case of violence – crisis center, rehabilitation – depending on the situation in a particular area/ city.