With Financial Support from the DAPHNE III Programme of the European Union
-
Upload
zelenia-noel -
Category
Documents
-
view
19 -
download
2
description
Transcript of With Financial Support from the DAPHNE III Programme of the European Union
Empowering Women Rough Sleepers (WRS) to Protect themselves from Violence
Children Rough Sleepers (CRS) who are Runaways, Homeless and Victims of Violence on the Streets
Moss, K., Singh, P., & Wright, M. (2013) Women Rough Sleepers and Domestic Violence: A European Study. Policy Press (forthcoming)
70 – 100% homeless as a result of DV in the UK, Sweden, Hungary and Spain
Problem of comorbidity Little / no women only provision Invisibility / lack of engagement with outreach
Our research is shaped by “Grounded Theory” and “Ethnographic Qualitative Interviewing.’
Glaser & Strauss (1967) & Strauss (1992)
Carried out in the UK, Hungary and Slovenia
Extent and nature of violence against homeless / roofless women
Measure & tackle it including examples of best practice
Empowerment of women Education and the role of families
Women with children likely to be prioritised
More at risk from certain causes of homelessness /hidden homelessness / invisible homelessness or rooflessness
Long waiting times for benefits 1 in 10 homeless in the UK are women Reduction in services targeted at women Only one project for sex workers in the UK
Methods of counting flawed & inconsistent
Some work with empowerment ongoing
No official acknowledgement of the problem of homeless / roofless / rough sleeping women
Family specific problems, including;
Specific problems for older women who are widowed
Specific problems for younger women who become homeless as a result of abuse
October 2013 homeless clearance policy framed within the Hungarian Constitution based on the Hungarian Social Act 2011
Illegal to remove unwanted items from the street
World Heritage sites ban Politically disenfranchised due to voting restrictions
UK – clearance takes place using the Vagrancy Act 1824
Impact upon citizenship rights Criminal offence to sleep on the street or to beg
Social exclusion should be tackled at its root causes not by criminalisation
Merely compounds the problem and frustrates the work of support agencies
Emphasises the need for recognition that root causes lie within families, the empowerment of women and an agenda to leave no-one behind.
It is a social problem inextricably linked to poverty
Social stigma is one of the main barriers to finding solutions
Women are particularly vulnerable; problems of comorbidity; invisibility; lack of engagement; victims of abuse but do not define themselves as such
Require distinct intervention, female only provision & access to services
http://www.womenroughsleepers2.eu/
No efficient, systematic or comprehensive compilation of data for under 18 year olds producing either underestimates or exaggerations of the numbers of street children in Romania
Increases in addiction to drugs, alcohol & lack of awareness of the problems caused by these negative behaviours
Lack of equal opportunities and discrimination
CRS have negative experiences with child protection
Role of the trusted adult is crucial Dysfunctional families are main risk factor
Amongst boys prevalence of developmental disorders eg; ADHD
Professionals feel policies ineffective
Lack of training / acknowledgment of the need for training
Explicit social problems and pathologies affecting families is the main cause of child homelessness
Alcohol is a major factor Majority of children expressed that if the family functioned normally their situations would not have occurred.
FEANTSA Report on Youth Homelessness: Prague November 2013
1. Increases in youth homelessness: UK 12%, Denmark 50%, Ireland 43%, Hungary 36%, Czech Rep 38%
2. Profiles of the homeless are changing
3. Pathways into homelessness mirror our findings
4. Ineffective discharges from institutional care
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3g0jtuNMDE
Recommendations:
More housing options especially for those released from youth care
Access to adapted employment schemes
DO NOT criminalise homelessness
Develop a strategy and policy guidance to better tackle homelessness
Within the context of the SIP, a roadmap for the implementation of this strategy with thematic priorities
Promotion of transnational exchanges, training and research, social experimentation and access to structural funds.
A call to the EC to develop this strategy to help Member States make real progress in confronting homelessness by 2020.
Awareness raising of the casual factors: domestic violence, dysfunctional families, social problems, family pathologies
Education and empowerment of women and children
Awareness raising of increasing women and children’s homelessness
Tackling ineffective post institutional resettlement
“Leave no one behind” “Universal primary education and promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women”
Thank You !
If you can help us and be involved in this research by sharing your knowledge
and experiences please contact:
Professor Kate [email protected]
Paramjit [email protected]