Combating Violence: New Initiatives in Odessa

Every year in Ukraine, from November 25 to December 10, the campaign «16 Days Against Violence» takes place.

To raise awareness among students about the issues of domestic violence, human trafficking, and the protection of women's rights, as well as child abuse, thematic events will be held in educational institutions in Odessa.

Throughout November and December, young residents of Odessa will participate in activities for the International White Ribbon Day, a citywide amateur video competition against violence, and a flash mob titled «Kindness Starts with Us» on the social network Facebook.

Schools will also host: a unified educational hour «Together Against Violence», an exhibition of children's drawings and photographs titled «#HappуFamilyinOdessa», workshops, case meetings, training sessions, quests, roundtable discussions, interactive five-minute sessions, video viewings, and more.

For high school parliament members in Odessa, an interactive card game entitled «Creating a Safety Circle!» and a game called «Youth and Police Together Against Violence» will be organized.

During the «16 Days Against Violence» campaign, the results of the city competition «How I Understand Gender» will also be summarized.

For educators, a psychological film club meeting will discuss a relevant movie, training on the game methodology «Safety Circle», and practical seminars with training elements on developing cooperation mechanisms with other organizations on preventing and combating domestic violence, gender-based violence, and bullying.

The prevention of domestic violence and bullying in schools will be discussed during training sessions led by psychological service specialists.

With the participation of representatives from governmental and non-governmental organizations working on violence prevention, informational parent meetings, lectures, and consultations titled «Family - A Space Without Violence» will be held.