The project aims to support, empower, and help with the economic and social independence of women who have experienced gender-based violence. The project “EQUALL – Equal Opportunities for All” is implemented by the Diotima Centre and Piraeus Bank for the period December 2023 – June 2024.

Purpose

The project “EQUALL – Equal Opportunities for All” is designed to respond in a targeted manner to the need for empowerment, economic and social self-sufficiency and independence of survivors of gender-based violence, enhancing their efforts to escape abuse and support an independent life.

As has been established, the majority of victims of gender-based violence also face problems of economic self-sufficiency and independence in the context of abusive relationships, domestic/intimate partner violence. Often, one form of violence that accompanies other forms of violence (physical violence, psychological and emotional violence, etc.) is economic violence, which involves the lack of access to financial resources, including employment.

The new program offers support to women of all ages and social profiles and can particularly help those in a precarious economic situation (unemployed or underemployed, etc.), regardless of their formal qualifications. The support provided is based on a specialized scientific approach and methodology that responds to the individual needs of women.

The Diotima Centre, through its many years of activity in the field of prevention and response to gender-based violence in Greece and the large number of women it has supported, has the expertise and holistic approach required to support women.

Actions

More specifically, the provision of support to women victims of gender-based violence through the EQUALL – Equal Opportunities for All program includes:

• Individualized supportive psycho-educational professional counselling sessions aimed at empowering women to recognize their positive and strong points, to creatively and proactively manage their autonomy by utilizing all available resources (material, psychological and social) and to achieve the reconstruction of their self-image, the enhancement of their self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Upgrading of qualifications and acquisition of (new) skills. Through counselling support, their professional profile (educational level, previous work experience) is mapped, soft/social skills are identified and exploited, and their (re)orientation is encouraged.
• Preparation for searching and finding a job.

The duration of the first cycle of the program will be six months and 25 women will benefit from it.

**”EQUALL – Equal Opportunities for All” is part of Piraeus Bank’s multifaceted EQUALL program for an equal society and includes as its main pillars gender equality, support for the younger generation and vulnerable social groups. EQUALL’s actions aim to eliminate gender discrimination, exclusion and stereotypes, eliminate all forms of violence, empower women and vulnerable people, and promote equal opportunities for all people to access education, culture, economic independence and personal development.