GENDER VIOLENCE AND PRISON: from MIP to SPREAD

FINAL EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON TACKLING GENDER VIOLENCE IN PRISON WITHIN THE EU From MIP to SPREAD Mar Camarasa Casals SURT Fundació de dones. Fundació privada.

SURT. WOMEN’S FOUNDATION. PRIVATE FOUNDATION.
It is a Foundation recognised as and innovative and transformative project
for today’s society that aims at:
Fostering equality between women and men at the social, political, economic sphere
Supporting the process of women’s labour insertion, especially those who find themselves in situation of major social and employment vulnerability

RESEARCH AND INNOVATIVE AREA
Constitutes a space of reflection, research, innovation and exchange of experiences around gender, labour and social exclusion
By carrying out projects at the local, regional, national and European level, the RI area aspires to be an interactive area where research and innovation intervention with women takes place continuously

SUBJECT OF THE RESEARCH
One of the most invisible groups in our society is the one constituted by women in prisons
Women are a minority group inside prisons
There is the need to get to know this group and to explore intervention and research lines

TIME LINE OF SURT’S WORK 1999 2005 Research on ‘ Violence against women. Analysis of the female penitentiary population’ 2008-2010 2002-2005 2006-2008

MIP project (2002-05)
AIM: To analyse the profile, situation and socio -labour insertion of female prisoners in Europe
PARTICIPATING MEMBER STATES: Spain, Italy, France, Germany, UK and Hungary
MAIN FINDINGS:
Before going to prison women have already suffered serious economic, social and cultural disadvantages
The stay in prison becomes another factor of exclusion for these women

MIP analysed the main features of the profile of female prisoners in
Europe:
Young/middle-age women
Women with low educational level
Precarious labour situation
Monomarentality: high percentage of women without a partner but with children
High prevalence of drug abusers

Instable housing
Important proportion of migrant women and women belonging to ethnic minorities (Roma women)
Women presenting bad health
Very high prevalence of women who have suffered gender violence before entering to prison

One of the main finding of MIP:
SOCIAL EXCLUSION CRIME GENDER VIOLENCE

There were almost no statistics or research on this issue,
but it appeared in the qualitative interviews with women
in all countries
THERE WAS A NEED TO DEVELOP FUTHER RESEARCH ON GENDER VIOLENCE AND PENITENTIARY SYSTEMS

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN THE CATALAN PENITENTIARY CENTRES (2005)
AIM: To analyse the incidence of gender violence within the female population
of Catalan penitentiary centres
METHODOLOGY: qualitative interviews with 200 female prisoners
MAIN RESULTS:
1. Overrepresentation of women survivors of domestic violence inside prison:
88.4% of the female inmates had suffered some experience of gender violence
No differences in terms of age, ethnic group, origin, drug abuse, educational
level or number of children

2. Strong psychological and emotional impact (among others) of violence:
76% low self-esteem 94% were depressed when suffering violence and 50% were still depressed at the moment of the research 53% suicide attempts 65% self-blaming for the violence suffered 75% lost friends and social net due to violence 69% violence affected their capacity to work or search for a job 85% ran away from home due to violence

87% of these women claimed that they had needed psychological, economic, health, housing support but they did not got it
No support from social or family networks
No support inside prison centres: no programmes tackling gender violence effects
3. Need of support versus lack of programmes: CONSTRAST WITH LEGISLATION ON GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS

LEGISLATION ON GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS
International and European legislation and political agreements
against gender violence: Member States are obliged to prevent and
combat violence against women and to offer support to those women
who have suffered gender violence
LITTLE POLITICAL AND LEGAL ATTENTION TO THE PHENOMENON OF GENDER VIOLENCE IN THE PENITENIARY CONTEXT

Daphne project coordinated by SURT
ACTIVITES DEVELOPED:
Research on existing in-prison programmes for men abusers and women survivors of gender violence in the EU
Design and implementation of gender-based pilot in prison programmes in Hungary and Catalonia
Elaboration of an intervention manual for professionals
Training to prison staff
ALTRA (2006-2008)

POLITICAL IMPACT:
Raise awareness on the seriousness of the issue within the Catalan and Spanish penitentiary administration
SURT was invited by the Spanish government / penitentiary institutions to participate in the Commission of experts of the Equality Plan inside Penitentiary Institutions
In Catalonia: at the end of ALTRA, the Justice Department of the Catalan government funds annually 3 in-prison programmes targeting women for preventing and tackling gender violence in 2 women’s prisons. They are carried out by SURT.
ALTRA (2006-2008)

FROM ALTRA TO SPREAD
Due to the success of ALTRA project
Need to SPREAD this positive experience and raise awareness on the issue to all EU Member States

SPREAD (2008-2010)
Daphne project coordinated by SURT
ACTIVITES DEVELOPED:
Update research on existing in-prison programmes for men abusers and women having suffered gender violence in the EU
Design and implementation of gender-based in-prison programmes in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Finland
Creation of Minimum Standards for the intervention in prison
Creation of a Training package on Gender Violence for Prison Staff

SPREAD (2008-2010)
Implementation of training to prison staff in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Finland
Elaboration of sensitisation leaflet sent to all EU prison administrations
Elaboration of a document on political recommendations on gender violence and prisons
Sensitisation and raise awareness on the issue at national and EU level

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION! For more information: www.surt.org www.surt.org/mip www.surt.org/altra www.surt.ord/spread

GENDER VIOLENCE AND PRISON: from MIP to SPREAD

by Surt, Fundació de dones, Fundació privada on Nov 26, 2010

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GENDER VIOLENCE AND PRISON: from MIP to SPREAD — Presentation Transcript

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