Medica programme profile
Medica Zenica is an expert women’s non governmental organization that started its work in April 1993, and for 16 years, has continuously provided psycho-social and medical support to:
Women and children, survivors of trauma and violence: • Victims of war rape, and to victims of sexual violence in post -war time; • Women and children, victims of war and post war violence; • Victims of domestic violence, and • Victims of trafficking in human beings.
1993 2008 Medica Zenica’s tasks:
• Improvement of the existing services, contribution to society development, implementation of international conventions and other documents in this field signed and ratified by BiH • Implementation of the existing laws • Implementation of by-laws and strategic documents
1993 2008 Medica’s renowned status • Medica Zenica is recognized for its holistic approach towards victims of trauma and violence which is based on humanistic values
• Believing that there is a healthy/undamaged part in every person, which helps normalize conditions, induces the healing process and reestablishes life on quality grounds within the family and the community
1993 2008 Medica’s renowned status
• Apart from healing traumatic consequences, the central element of the treatment is strengthening inner powers and the healthy, undamaged part of personality which has not been affected by trauma
1993 2008 Current services of Medica Zenica
Shelter/safe house Psychological counselling office Kinder house/day care for children Medical care and protection Economic empowerment through training and retraining/ vocational courses for different crafts SOS line 1265
1993 2008 Safe house Medica Zenica
• Medica provides its clients, women and children victims of trauma and violence, with accommodation and complete logistics in the safe house all through their recovery
• Clients get adequate professional help through individual and group therapy work, counseling, family therapy occupational/work therapy
• Economic empowerment through vocational training courses
1993 2008 Safe house-Medica Zenica
• Accommodation of children in the safe house includes therapy work and stay in the kinder house for the purpose of education and upbringing
• Medica also helps women and children to contact relevant governmental institutions and other non-governmental organizations so they can claim and exercise their rights
Within the past sixteen years 961 women and 691 children stayed in Medica’s safe house – a total of 1652 persons
1993 2008 Reasons for accommodation of clients (women, children, underage girls) in Medica Zenica Safe house in the period 1993-2008
Underage Year Reasons Women Children girls Total % War traumas (rape, family 1993 - 2003 losses, 394 243 40 677 73,66 refuge, returns) Domestic violence, 2003 - 2006 marital 121 79 11 211 70,09 violence and family issues Domestic violence, marital 2006 - 2008 violence and 79 66 3 148 77,48 family issues
1993 2008 Safe house-Medica Zenica
• If we carefully examine the reasons for accommodation of clients in Medica Zenica safe house we can see that in the first 10 years women and children turned to Medica for help because of war trauma, and in the next 6 years the most predominant reasons were: - Domestic violence, marital and family issues - Underage girls are accommodated due to sexual abuse and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation • However, therapy work with clients shows a connection between war trauma and domestic violence and that trauma does not fit into a limited timeline
1993 2008 Psychological counseling office provides clients with the following services:
• Individual and group therapy work, • Counselling, • Family therapy, • Therapy work with children, • Work with violent partner/perpetrators, • Work with male family members within family therapy counselling.
In the last 16 years Medica Psychological Counselling Office was approached by 5,795 persons
There was a total of 15,834 therapy sessions held with women, children, and men in the last 16 years, out of which 253 session with male clients
1993 2008 Safe house and Psychological counseling Medica Zenica
Transgenerational transmission is already evident and is manifested through different forms of disturbed relationships and communication which accounts for the increase in recorded cases of violence: physical, psychological, sexual and economic.
1993 2008 Medical care
• From 1993 to 2006 within Medica’s health station clients received primary health care, gynecological and internal medicine examinations
• At the same time the medical team did field work in rural areas, providing medical checkups thanks to our mobile clinic “Marta”
1993 2008 Medical care
• Since Juny 2008, medical care for women and children accommodated in the safe house is being provided free of charge at the Cantonal Hospital Zenica, thanks to a protocol signed by Medica Zenica and the Cantonal Hospital Zenica
• The work of the mobile clinic “Marta” continued with a focus on provision of free medical services to victims of torture in rural areas
1993 2008 Medical care • For the past 16 years the number of all forms of medical checkups and services is 106,790 The number of gynecological examinations and services including the work of the counseling office is 64,687 The number of examinations and primary health care services is 12,773 The number of internal medicine examinations is 5,384
• The medical team performed 12,313 gynecological examinations including different diagnostic services on field The number of general physician’s examinations and diagnostic services in the field is 3,064 A total of 15,377 medical outreach examinations were performed
1993 2008 Kinder house – educational and therapy work with children
• Categories of children eligible to stay in the Kinder house: - children direct or indirect survivors of trauma and violence - children witnesses of violence and at the risk of being exposed to violence and exploitation • Apart from the regular program we created for children support-therapy work in safe environment whose goal is enabling children to acquire coping mechanisms for difficult situations, but also to learn to stand up for their rights and needs without hurting others
1993 2008 Kinder house
• Children of Medica Zenica become active members of Medica, but also of the community through participation in and creation of activities that include children • In 2008 children implemented educational-creative peer workshops in nongovernmental organizations “Romano centro” Zenica, “Teachers without borders” Zenica and the public institution Dom porodica Zenica (local orphanage) • The outcome of the children’s joint efforts is promotional material created during the course of workshops and distributed on the occasion of the international campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence” and the “Human Rights Day”
Within the past sixteen years 708 children stayed in the Kinder house
1993 2008 Vocational training courses: tailoring, sewing, upholstering and hairdressing
• Medica Zenica recognized the importance of economic empowerment of women and girls after survived trauma and violence • In 2009 we started with vocational courses and educational psychosocial workshops for women and girls in two villages Arnauti and Briznik in cooperation with the local communities and Zenica Municipality
1993 2008 Vocational training courses: tailoring, sewing, upholstering and hairdressing
• Vocational courses help women restore safety, apply for jobs or work from their home and earn a living
• An example of good cooperation and support in employment of women and girls is Medica’s partnership with the Cantonal Hospital Zenica, where in 2008 4 former clients of Medica were hired During the past years 663 women and girls successfully completed vocational training courses
1993 2008 Education in schools
Children that go to school and are accommodated in Medica Zenica receive regular education in primary schools; in the past 16 years Medica has provided support also to female high school students through regular or part time education During their stay in Medica, 101 students received secondary education, out of which 10 enrolled in undergraduate studies
1993 2008 SOS – 1265 for victims of domestic violence
• Medica’s SOS line started being active in 1998
• The unified SOS line “1265” for victims of violence is in use 24/11. This line is primarily for victims of domestic violence but it’s available for other issues as well
By the end of 2008 Medica Zenica received 1625 calls to the SOS line
1993 2008 Institutional cooperation through protocols, letterhead papers and other legal binding documents realized with:
• Ministry of Security BiH • PI Cantonal Hospital Zenica • Ministry of Human Rights and • PI Dom porodica Zenica Refugees BiH • Pedagogical Faculty Zenica • Federation BiH: Federal ministry of • Islamic Pedagogical Faculty Zenica Labor and Social policies • Primary and secondary schools • The Gender Equality Agency of BiH • The Association of Social workers of • The Gender Center of the Federation Zenica Doboj Canton BiH • Romano centro Zenica • Zenica Doboj Canton • Teachers without borders Zenica • Zenica Municipality • Nongovernmental organizations in • Public Institution Social Service BiH Center Zenica
1993 2008 Other segments of Medica Zenica
Education projects, Research projects, and Policy advocacy and publishing work
The projects are focused on promotion and protection of women and children’s rights, prevention activities and rehabilitation of survivors of sexual and domestic violence and trauma, and combating trafficking in human beings
1993 2008 Educational work of Medica in the field of consequence relief and prevention of violence, trauma and stress within the family and the community
• Educational work of Medica Zenica , focused on issues of trauma and violence was, in the past 12 years, performed with numerous employees of different institutions and organisations (police, judiciary, public prosecutors, health care providers, social workers, NGOs and their service providers, educational workers, media workers, etc.)
• For several years Medica has participated in the implementation of the European Project for Interreligious Learning, promoting interreligious dialog, tolerance and peace among people
Medica Zenica, has reached, educated, and sensitized a total of 6,176 persons for these issues, through 7,001 hours of educational work.
1993 2008 Outreach/field work education and therapy groups
• Educational-therapy fieldwork goes on in the following areas: Zenica, Žep če, Zavidovi ći, Vozu ća, Vareš, Breza, Travnik, Busova ča, Vitez (Ahmi ći, D.Ve čeriska), Sarajevo (Ilidža, Hadži ći, Vogoš ća), Han Pijesak (Go ñenje), Kotor Varoš (Ve čići), podru čje Doboja (Čajre, Sjenina, Kotorsko, Čiv čije, Kr čevine) i Modri ča. The total number of people included in the educational-therapy fieldwork is 857 The total number of hours spent working with groups is 2,040
1993 2008 Policy Advocacy Work
• Medica Zenica is a member of various working groups and advocacy networks in BiH which participate in the development of relevant strategies and legislation acts related to gender equality, issues of violence and trafficking in human beings and the status of nongovernmental organizations
• Important success in 2006 was the campaign „ For dignity of the survivors “ implemented in partnership with the production company “Deblokada” that produced „Grbavica“, a film by director Jasmila Žbani ć, and network of women NGOs in FBIH. The campaign resulted in introduction of legal status of Civil Victims of War for the women who survived war rapes.
1993 2008 Policy Advocacy Work
• Since the beginning of 2007 Medica Zenica has been very active in the field of advocating for the integration of safe house and psychological counselling office into the existing system of social and health protection through implementation of Combined model of combating violence against women and children and support in overcoming trauma
• Thus, Medica Zenica was a member of the working group in charge of drafting the Strategic plan for prevention of domestic violence for FBiH 2009-2010 , and the working group for the development of the “Social protection plan of Zenica Municipality 2009-2013”
1993 2008 Policy Advocacy Work
• Every year Medica takes part in the international campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence”
• In 2008 Medica Zenica marked this campaign within the network of women’s NGOs together with 22 other nongovernmental organizations, implementing joint and individual activities
• In Zenica Municipality the campaign was organized in partnership with Zenica Doboj Canton, Zenica Municipality, Social Service Center Zenica, Dom porodica Zenica, the Association of Social workers Zenica Doboj Canton, and nongovernmental organizations “Romano centro” Zenica and Teachers without borders Zenica
1993 2008 Medica Zenica – research and publishing
Covers various thematic fields which, by their context, are related to Medica mission and vision, but prime focus is on issues concerning violence against women and children and trauma relief
In the past 16 years Medica Zenica has printed/published 25 brochures and publications, and 10 books in different fields – total of 35 editions
1993 2008 Medica Zenica – research and publishing
1993 2008 MedicaMedica ZenicaZenica –– researchresearch andand publishingpublishing
We have implemented and published do sen researches, analyses, and studies in different fields namely:
...violence against women and children in the region of Zenica municipality, Violence against Roma women and their position in the society , Monitoring residential status and criminal proceedings for foreigners, victims of human trafficking in BIH, Implementation of Law on protection from domestic violence in public institutions in Zenica; Women in BIH media; How media writes about violence against women, and/or gender based violence in BIH; Role of women’s local integrative organisations (NGOs) in the journey towards democracy, etc. Cross-border cooperation in prevention of violence against women and children,etc
1993 2008 MEDICA’S MISSION
Medica Zenica implements a combined model of combating violence against women and children and trauma relief which is based on humanistic values and belief that individual and global changes are mutually dependant .
The work of Medica links direct protection and assistance to victims of violence and trauma, provided through the existing services, with policy advocacy for positive changes in institutions and the community with regard to problems that cause violence to appear.
1993 2008 MEDICA’S VISION
Life of women and children without violence and discrimination, and equal rights in family and the society.
1993 2008 MEDICA ZENICA-CONTACTS: • Medica – Management and administration: Address: Kriva če 40, 72000 Zenica, Bosna i Hercegovina Operator: +387 32 463-920 Tel/fax: +387 32 463-924 Executive director: +387 32 463-930 E-mail: [email protected] • Medica – Psychological counseling in Zenica Located in the premises of Social Service Center in Zenica Telephone-Operator of Social Service Center: +387 32 402- 748 • SOS line : 1265 • Web : www.medicazenica.org
1993 2008