This project is funded directly from the EU Commission, Justice Directorate, and is designed to highlight and promote the existence of elder abuse and domestic violence.  Led by the University of Tartu (Estonia), partners include Kilcooley Women’s Centre, Bangor (Northern Ireland), Finland, Austria, Union of Women Crete (Greece).  The group will develop a training course to deliver to health professionals to highlight the incidents of elder victims of domestic abuse.  Visit the project website www.whosefva-gbv.eu 

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING (1) CRETE, GREECE  

The first meeting (kick off) for the WHOSEFVA project was held in Hereklion, Crete.  This meeting enabled the formation of the steering committee, for the 7 international partners to begin to implement the programme.  

Between 20-23 March 2017, all WHOSEFVA partners from six different countries (Austria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia and the UK) celebrated the launch of the project in Heraklion, Greece.

The meeting took place in the Union of Women Members Associations of Heraklion Prefecture Guest House.

In preparation for the Mutual Learning Workshops, Finnish expert Sirkka Perttu trained staff of partner organizations about violence against older women and the complex background of this topic in the European context.

Points of discussion included:

1) Background knowledge on abuse of older women

• Gender issues defining violence against older women
• Human rights approach / women’s rights approach
• Ageism and gender discrimination and promoting positive attitudes
• Elder abuse – forms, prevalence and various issues faced by older female victims

2) Working with an older survivor

• Complex trauma caused by violence for older women
• Challenges in seeking help and the process
• Working with older people – needs of older women including social and health care, safety planning

3) Practice Procedures

• Introduction of good practice protocol in the emergency unit in Helsinki City Hospital
• Multi-agency cooperation and how to build trust and synergies
• Austrian and Finnish examples of multi-agency cooperation in elder abuse

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING (2) TARTU, ESTONIA

The second steering committee meeting for the WHOSEVA project was held in Tartu in Estonia, 29-31 August 2017.  During this meeting the partners updated on the implementationof the management plan and the results from the international focus groups and the mutual learning workshops with health professionals, which will help shape the training manual and resources which will be a major output of the project.

STEERING COMMITTEE (3) AUSTRIA (planned March/April 2018)  

STEERING COMMITTEE (4) Project Closure Meeting (planned Sept 2018)