Rokada specialist Olena Tykhonova invited Konotop residents to an awareness-raising meeting on how the war increases the risks of gender-based violence. Topics included the support services available to those who have gone through such a crisis and practical steps that help recognise danger in time.
“Several factors that increase the risks of violence can be singled out. The first is exhaustion. A person who would hold back irritation in peacetime cannot do so in a state of chronic stress. The second is when violence against loved ones becomes a distorted way of regaining a sense of control where it has been lost. The third is that, against the background of the general situation, sensitivity to domestic violence decreases, and evil becomes normalised. However, we stress that none of these circumstances justifies violence. Stress and trauma explain the mechanism, but responsibility for an act always lies with the person who commits it,” stresses Olena Tykhonova.
Residents who joined the meeting received information about the types of assistance provided by Rokada, as well as materials explaining what to do and partners’ contacts.
The project is implemented by the Rokada Charitable Foundation with the support of Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (AICS) in partnership with the Bukovinian Agency for Initiatives and Development (BAID) and Un Ponte Per ETS (UPP).
