As the regional project “PROTECT - Preventing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against migrants and strengthening support to victims” is coming to a close in March 2020, IOM Slovenia held a final stakeholder meeting on 27 February in Ljubljana. Fifteen professionals working in the migration sector and organizations providing services and assistances to survivors came together to discuss current national programmes and initiatives with the aim to insure better inclusion and support to refugees, migrants and asylum-seekers who experience different forms of violence based on their gender, sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

IOM presented the main outcomes and achievements of the project, which included trainings for a total of 140 professionals of diverse backgrounds, informational sessions with migrant women and men, development of awareness raising materials and a training package which will be made available in Slovenian language in March. As part of the training materials, project partner Legebitra developed a chapter outlining how service providers can better address the needs of LGBTI persons who survived SGBV or are at risk of SGBV. Legebitra presented the implementation of informational sessions with migrants, emphasizing the importance of continuity of such initiatives and broader human rights education for migrants.

A representative of IOM in The Netherlands presented the PROTECT activities in the Netherlands with a special focus on the engagement of migrant ambassadors as well as professionals with different expertise such religious and community leaders, spokespersons, educators, for an integrated approach and better outreach in migrant communities.

Lastly, a representative of Legal Informational Centre for NGOs (PIC) presented the “Standard Operating Procedures for Prevention and Action in Cases Involving Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV SOPs)” which have recently been revised to better accommodate the needs of asylum seekers and refugees.

The participants confirmed the need for a multidisciplinary coordination and cross-sectoral cooperation for a successful response to SGBV in migrant communities. IOM welcomes the efforts and engagement of Slovenian organizations and institutions at the cross-section of SGBV and migration as several initiatives have been developed during recent years for better protection and assistance to migrants who can experience increased vulnerability to violence, exploitation and abuse on their migration journey.  

For more information about the project and the materials, please visit: https://slovenia.iom.int/protect and https://eea.iom.int/PROTECT-project.

  The project is funded by the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020).