Project name : AZE2P203 - Gender awareness-raising among youth
Budget: USD 29,300
Timeline: 1 January 2006 – 31 December 2006
What's the situation?
Gender stereotypes existing in the Azerbaijani society is one of the main constrains on the way of achieving gender equality. Gender-based violence, early marriages, trafficking of human beings exists in a culture of silence and denial. Gender-based violence in most forms is accepted as an appropriate way to resolve divergences within the family to preserve its internal cohesion and respect for the traditional authority. The social acceptance of such behaviours is probably the main cause for the persistence of such practices. Women and girls do not realise that the violence they experience in their everyday life is a violation of their human rights. A successful strategy to end violence against women needs to change in the first place the social acceptance and approval for such behaviours. In this regards, it is crucial to develop critical thinking skills among youth, promote tolerance and respect to human rights, integrate gender research into scientific studies and educational materials.
What’s our mission?
UNFPA supports public-awareness, community-based and educational
campaigns to increase knowledge about women’s rights and
to promote behavioral change. UNFPA also aims to motivate students
to critically analyze the gender situations in the country and
finally generate demand for better promotion and protection
of women’s human rights.
How is UNFPA doing this?
To create an enabling environment for youth for critical analysis
and thinking on the gender concerns in the country, UNFPA will:
- Promoting gender research – university summer schools. A 5-day summer school will be held this year for PhD/master students, National Academy of science professors and university professors. Participants will receive a comprehensive course in contemporary methodological approach to gender studies. The Summer School is scheduled for September 2006 and it is the first of its kind in the country.
- Youth Conference on “Achieving MDG 3: The Role of Youth in Gender Equality”. A National Youth Conference will be conducted to raise awareness on gender issues and MDG 3.
- Changing gender stereotypes among youth. Different awareness-raising events (seminars, round-table discussions, debates, competitions, mini-conferences, exhibitions) will be conducted every month to stimulate active debates among youth about traditional gender roles, non-violent communications and the need for change.
- Empowerment training for teenage girls. This training, which will be conducted by trained educators and teachers will focus on development of leadership skills, self-esteem correction, development of positive self-perception, development of skills to resist abuse and victimization, problem-solving skills and stress and trauma management skills.
- Revealing gender attitudes among teachers: A survey on “Gender attitudes among university teachers and students” will be conducted in six universities of Azerbaijan to reveal the gender perception of teachers and students, existing gender stereotypes among teaching staff that are transferred to the young population through teaching materials and methodology.
- Gender equality messages through mass-media. UNFPA supports
the development of TV/Radio debates and infomercials about priority
gender topics, such as sex-selective abortions; women, poverty
and employment; women and education; aging from a gender perspective;
gender statistics; family planning; early marriages etc.
Who are our partners?
This UNFPA project will be implemented jointly with the Western University
Gender Research Center
Other partners will be:
- Open Society Institute
- State Program on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development (SPPRED) Secretariat
- Open Society institute,
- BBC Department on Caucuses and Central Asia
- NAYORA – National Assemble of Youth NGOs.
- Psychological/Sociological
Associations.
How will Azerbaijan benefit?
The fundamental benefit to Azerbaijan will be raised public
awareness, community-based and educational knowledge, understanding,
commitments on women’s rights
and discrimination, eliminations of gender stereotypes, increased motivation
of students for critical analysis of gender situations in the country
and finally forming of new vision and perception among youth
population.
Contact Details:
Nigina Abaszade, UNFPA
Nigina.abaszade@un-az.org; abaszade@unfpa.org
| Printable Version |  |
