Strengthening Support Services Against Violence

Karama has worked to end violence against women through locally focused service, advocacy, and empowerment initiatives in communities across the Middle East and North Africa.  At the local level, Karama supports safe houses for women and children victims of violence.  These facilities provide clients with a range of services that include counseling, medical care, legal assistance, vocational and financial literacy training, access to microloans, transportation, and play therapy for traumatized children.  Karama also operates on the international level to raise awareness of domestic abuse, and to create networks among civil society and women’s advocacy groups, sharing experiences and best practices. In order to reinforce this work, Karama will partner with local organizations and donors to not only continue providing direct services for women and children survivors of violence, but also develop programs which will help shelter staff enhance their capacity to work with victims of violence, as well as increase the number and types of services available that are needed by violence survivors. Through regional workshops and conferences, we are also developing standards of terminology, procedure, and care to ensure women are empowered economically and physiologically to escape abusive relationships instead of rehabilitated only to return to their destructive home environments.

Key programs include:

•    Regional Workshop on Best Practices in Shelters
•    Violence against Women Terminology Workshop
•    Supporting grassroots and local action plans to expand, support and improve direct service provision facilities and staff, and assist women and families who have experienced violence