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The National Association of Women's Counseling and Rape Crisis Programs – Women against Violence
A Strong Lobby for Women
Women's Counseling and Rape Crisis Programs provide the major share of the counseling and support services on psychological, physical and sexualized violence available in Germany. Over the course of the years, these organizations have developed a high level of competence in their counseling skills and in the further training provided to other institutions and to professionals.
Moreover, through public information and political work in recent years, they have played a decisive role in the field of education, information and prevention of violence, as well as in legislative reforms. All these measures have contributed to an overall improvement of the situation of abused women.
In 2004, the two separate nationwide associations of women's counseling and rape crisis programs formed a united non-governmental organization: The National Association of Women's Counseling und Rape Crisis Programs – Women against Violence.
The top priority of the association is the further improvement of the situation of abused women in Germany. This is to be achieved by greater effectiveness in the work, by quality development within the organizations, and through training, public relations, networking and political work outside of the organizations.
The specific tasks are:
·Provision of information on the issue of violence against women
·Provision of central services for the support of already existing and newly founded rape crisis and women’s counseling programs in the German states
·Training of counselors for abused women and girls
·Development of common standards for the quality for counseling
·Organization of conferences and seminars for practitioners, referral of qualified experts as public speakers, development of specialized materials
·Representation of the members
·Provision of education and raising of consciousness among the general public, and provision of further training for professionals and multipliers on the issue of violence and sexualized violence against women
·Promoting information and experts’ exchange on national and international developments
·Cooperation with national, European and international groups of experts. and influencing national and European policy in the interest of women.
The National Association of Women's Counseling und Rape Crisis Programs – Women against Violence currently has more than 130 member organizations, all of which are NGOs.
Our website: www.frauen-gegen-gewalt.de
Phone: +4930/32299500
More information: www.bv-bff.de
If you like to support this work financially with a donation please use the following bank account:
Förderverein zur Förderung des Bundesverbandes: PAX-Bank Köln, Konto 6003631018, BLZ 37060193 , BIC GENODED 1 PAX, IBAN DE 43 3706 0193 6003 6310 18
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bff is part of Alliance of German Women’s Organizations that produce CEDAW Alternative Report
On 14 September 2007 the CEDAW Committee received the 6th Report from the Federal Republic of Germany on the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). In December 2007 and February 2008, 28 women’s associations, organisations and campaign groups joined together to produce an Alternative Report that would comment on the official report, subject it to critical review and add further material. In so doing, they were building on and structurally consolidating cooperation that had been reflected in comments on and additions to the 5th Report. The authors of the Alternative Report observe in general terms that the federal government’s equality policies were only partially effective in the last reporting period. Germany has still not implemented key recommendations from the CEDAW Committee’s Concluding Comments on the 5th Periodic Report. Indeed, a deterioration in the status of women can be observed in significant walks of life, as the chapters of this Alternative Report will seek to illustrate. You can find the association’s comments on the labour market/ equality at work, health/ care, role stereotyping, family policy and of course violence against women in the Alternative report:
www.bv-bff.de
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The Campaign “Take a Stand in 2007/2008 – Non-Violent Lives for Women”
March 2007 to November 2008
Even today in Germany, one woman in three is beaten, threatened, raped or stalked during her lifetime. However, many people are hardly aware of this fact. Unfortunately, reactions and responses to these violent acts are still rare. Both the victims of this violence and witnesses keep silent, play the problem down or don't dare to confront it. The National Association of Women's Counseling und Rape Crisis Programs – Women against Violence (bff) has initiated a nationwide campaign with the goal of raising awareness for this issue. Victims are to be encouraged to talk about their experiences and to seek support and help.
The bff launched this campaign in March 2007 under the slogan “Take the Right Stand: Oppose Violence.” It is a participatory campaign, in which political figures, celebrities and other public personalities have the opportunity to take a stand against violence against women by publicizing a personal statement along with a photo of their own legs and feet. The general public can also participate by publishing individual personal statements, with a photo of one’s feet, on the bff website www.frauen-gegen-gewalt.de
The patron of the campaign is the Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Ms. Ursula von der Leyen. Other supporters include TV chef Sarah Wiener, writer Heidi Schüller, actors Kirstin Meyer and Michaela May, entertainer Hella von Sinnen and TV court-show judge Barbara Salesch. Some women's magazines have agreed to publish the points of views of these celebrities as free advertisements.
The opening event of the campaign – a reception and press conference – took place on March 7, 2007 at the Academy of the Arts in Berlin. Present were political and other public figures who presented their statements and photos.
To date, the campaign has experienced a major response and many people have expressed a desire to join. In the next stage, the campaign is to be presented in various German states by the local bff chapters. Local activities similar to the opening event in Berlin will take place in front of the state parliament buildings, at town halls, or even in shopping areas.
Current information on the campaign and an opportunity to participate can be obtained at www.frauen-gegen-gewalt.de or here: www.bv-bff.de
Phone:+4930/32299500
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Developments/ Status quo of the campaign
The campaign has not been closed yet. Instead, its first anniversary was celebrated on the International Women’s day 2008. It was decided that the time-frame of the campaign must be extended to ensure that everybody interested in joining it could do so.
To make all the campaigns’ hitherto successes visible nevertheless, a brochure presenting some interim results together with a selection of pictures was published. More than 60 regional and local events and about 70 newspaper articles along with over 2000 statements against violence in the picture gallery on the bff website (www.frauen-gegen-gewalt.de) bear witness for the great and persisting success of the campaign. Meanwhile, two Federal Ministers joined the campaign, additionally.
As a result, it can already be said that the campaign succeeds in breaking the ban on talking about violence against women and that it is contributing significantly to increase the awareness that violence against women ist a topic that concerns a society as a whole.
To order the brochure and posters with a selection of pictures and to get more information, please contact: info@bv-bff.de or: +4930/ 32299500
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  Dokument: 79 | 2009-01-15 11:08:04 |
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