UN Women Turkey and Reach Alternatives (REALs) launched a new project titled “Strengthening the Socio-Economic Stabilization of Refugee and Host Community Women and Girls Through Women’s Leadership” in the Republic of Turkey

REALs will conduct the capacity-building training on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), including local women's organizations working on the front lines in Turkey and Syria to prevent, respond to violence against women, in connection with a UN Women Turkey project, funded by the government of Japan.

UN Women Turkey works for providing social stability and economic support for Syrian women and local women and girls in refugee-hosting communities. ‘Strengthening the Socio-Economic Stabilization of Refugee and Host Community Women and Girls through Women’s Leadership’ project aims to contribute to the social and economic stabilization of Syrian women, refugee women from other community groups and host community women and girls in Turkey. The project is to enhance women’s leadership and self-reliance through the provision of gender-responsive protection and livelihood support and by solidifying women’s and women’s organizations’ capacities to lead recovery and resilience efforts at community and local levels within the context of both the Syrian crisis and COVID-19 pandemic.

Turkey is the world's largest host country for Syrian refugees, having accepted approximately 3.6 million refugees. REALs have been supporting Syrian refugees in Turkey since 2015. GBV is one of the critical issues that refugees often face. Especially in recent years, there have been reports of increased livelihood insecurity and psychological stress, domestic violence and child marriages, due to the impact of self- restraint and unemployment caused by the spread of COVID-19.

While women and girls are more likely to be victims of conflict and violence, women can play a key role in conflict prevention, the stabilization of societies and the establishment of sustainable peace. It is thus important to enhance the capacities of CSOs, community-based and grassroots organizations, and women’s groups working for refugee and host community women on GBV in response to COVID-19 towards gender equality and empowerment.

There are three approaches to our project.

1. Needs assessment survey to target CSOs
2. Designing and developing training materials based on the survey results
3. Delivering training for target CSOs with a focus on identified priority thematic areas.

The training will include specified thematic areas on "Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG)." In order to respond to the current situation, EVAWG in disaster settings and Gender Sensitive Disaster Risk Reduction will also be included.

The project will last until the end of March 2022 and the following achievements are expected:

ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER OUTPUT 1: Refugee women and girls will have improved access to referral, psycho-social support, and counseling mechanisms as well as livelihood opportunities, responding to the urgent needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER OUTPUT 2: Women’s organizations will be supported to enhance stability, resilience, and peaceful co-existence in their communities through women’s leadership in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.