‘A THOUSAND WAYS TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS’: An analysis of existing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) approaches for minoritized women and girls in the Western Balkans and Turkey.

This report highlights the main challenges that ‘by and for’ women’s organizations across the Western Balkans and Turkey face in incorporating an intersectional approach, as well as in monitoring and reporting on Istanbul Convention implementation, monitoring and reporting to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and engaging with the EU accession process.

As part of the study, representatives from 18 ‘by and for’ organizations were interviewed across the region. The majority of these groups are led by minority women – Roma, Egyptian and Ashkali women, women with disabilities, LGBTQI women and rural women. Within these organizations, the vision, mission and ways of working – and consequently their strategies for combating violence against women and girls – are framed by the needs and unique experiences of minority women.

This research paper sets out the scenario and road map for the establishment of a regional expert working group on intersectional and multiple forms of discrimination in the context of violence against women and girls across the region.