Community prisons as an inspiration for the Czech prison system. And new instructional videos for those entering prison.

The perpetrators of violence often provoke disgust in us and few people have the desire to think about what lies behind their behaviour. But what if it's not an adult, but a teenage boy with a difficult life who doesn't know what to do with himself? And what if it's not cold calculation that's behind his violence, but confusion, pain and uncontrolled emotions?

On 15 May 2024 at 12:00 the Ministry of Finance acting as Programme Operator of the Human Rights, Roma Inclusion and Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Programme announces call for proposals of grant applications for bilateral initiatives under the Fund for Bilateral Relations at Programme Level financed by the Norway Grants 2014-2021.

The Ministry of Finance – Programme Operator issues the updated Bilateral Ambitions Guideline for Applicants and Final Beneficiaries in programmes Justice, Human Rights, Good Governance and Health, which is valid from 15. 5. 2024.

Relax yourself project was completed on 31. 12. 2023. It was set up in May 2021 because it was becoming apparent that children and adolescents' mental health was not in good shape due to covid isolation. The Turnov Education Centre targeted children and adolescents aged 11-16, educational staff, parents of children and the community in general. The aim was to promote mental health, education and prevention.

The number of cases of domestic violence is increasing year on year. Last year alone, the police used the institution of evicting a violent person from a shared home in 679 households with minor children - 119 more cases than in 2022, according to statistics from intervention centres for people at risk of domestic violence. In addition, their staff warn that children exposed to domestic violence are at increased risk of violence transmission. A communication campaign called Carousel of Violence advises not only victims but also witnesses or perpetrators of violence on how to stop the imaginary carousel.

Learn the basics of the profession, but above all experience success and learn something new. This was the aim of the photography workshops of the Nová škola NGO and the 400 ASA association for children from socially deprived backgrounds from Krásná Lípa and the Šluknov region. Twenty-four selected photographs taken during these workshops, which offer a testimony of how these children see their world, are now on display at the 400 ASA Gallery in Prague. The exhibition, titled My World, runs from February 20 to March 2, 2024.

CZK 2.3 billion a year is spent from public health insurance on treating the effects of sexualised violence. This is according to new research by the proFem - Centre for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence, o.p.s. and MindBridge Consulting a.s. According to the research, 58% of women have experienced some form of sexualised violence. One in five women (20%) reported specific experiences of rape. 76% of rape victims mentioned the impact on their mental or physical health, relationships, studies, work or even life-threatening consequences. Women who experienced rape under the age of 15 almost all stated that it had had a negative impact on their lives (93% of respondents).

PORT - the first centre for victims of sexual violence in the Czech Republic - opened in Prague's Břevnov quarter on 22 January 2024.

In connection with the EEA and Norway Grants Annual Meeting in the Czech Republic, we seize the opportunity to spotlight proFem, a beacon of hope and transformation in addressing violence against women. Last week's visit coincides with a crucial time when the European Union's recent ratification of the Istanbul Convention and UN Women's 'Orange the World' campaign bring into sharp focus the importance of combating gender-based violence.