Objectives:

• Preventing and combating at all levels all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls in all their diversity and domestic violence, including by promoting the standards laid down in the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence;
• Preventing and combating all forms of violence against children, young people and other groups at risk, such as LGBTQI persons and persons with disabilities.
• Supporting and protecting all direct and indirect victims of the forms of violence referred to in points (1) and (2), such as the victims of domestic violence perpetrated within the family or within intimate relationships, including children orphaned as a result of domestic crimes, and supporting and ensuring the same level of protection throughout the Union for victims of gender-based violence.

Priorities:

1. Large-scale and long-term transnational actions on tackling gender- based violence with regranting (giving financial support to third party Civil Society Organisations)

In line with the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, this priority aims to support the development of large-scale, integrated actions to combat gender-based violence and achieve long-term and structural changes, especially at the grass-root level, through the regranting scheme. Therefore, the purpose of this priority is to select and support a limited number of actors/intermediaries which will build the capacities of and regrant (i.e., further disburse the grant) to a large number of civil society organisations (CSOs) active at local, regional, national level.

Via the re-granting scheme the intermediaries are expected to reach out to grassroots CSOs, including organisations based in remote and rural areas, active in the field of preventing and combating gender-based violence, with a priority to organisations that tend to have more limited capacity and/or access to funding sources.

Through this mechanism, EU funding should help to support, empower and build the capacity of independent civil society organisations active in preventing and combatting diverse forms of gender-based violence, in particular:

• Domestic violence and sexual violence: providing protection and support tailored to the specific needs of victims of these forms of violence, including specific medical and psychological support, victim-centered and trauma-informed services, access to justice, increased accessibility of shelters or other interim accommodations, also for those victims experiencing intersectional discrimination, in line with the requirements of Article 30 of the VAW/DV Directive, including in remote or rural areas.
• gender-based cyber violence: tackling cyber violence, such as cyber gender-based incitement to violence or hatred, cyber stalking, cyber harassment and bullying, non-consensual sharing of intimate or manipulated material (exacerbated by the use of artificial intelligence), extortion with the use of sexual imagery ('sextortion'), grooming, etc.
• harmful practices: tackling female genital mutilation, intersex genital mutilation, forced abortion, forced sterilisation, child and forced marriage, honour-related violence, gynaecological and obstetric violence, and other harmful practices against women and girls, as well as forced medicalisation of trans people and conversion practices targeting intersex and LGBTIQ people.

Intermediaries must align themselves with the aims of this call as well as with the values and principles it promotes and to request such alignment from the final beneficiaries/third parties.

In order to guarantee on-the-ground interventions and wide coverage, the applicants are encouraged to set up partnerships that ensure collaboration with relevant actors in the chosen area. Applications should also strive to reach out to a large number of Civil Society Organisations and participants through the regranting scheme. Applications will need to incorporate long-term programmes of support and capacity building for grass root Civil Society Organisations in view to strengthen the capacity of CSOs. Such programmes should help to create a more supportive environment for CSOs to increase effectiveness of CSOs’ actions, develop their advocacy role and increase their involvement in policy and decision-making processes with local, regional, and national governments and other relevant actors. The aim is that the grass root organisations and related target groups integrate the actions under the grant in their respective fields of activity. Applicants are recommended to engage a public authority in support of their project to help achieve strong long-term sustainability of project results and outcomes. Proposals must include an effective and detailed monitoring and evaluation system, which will enable partners to evaluate the impact of their intervention.

In line with the main objective of this Priority, applications must include the provision of financial support to third parties (see section Activities that can be funded (scope) - point a) below). Proposals should be based on and include a thorough assessment of the CSOs landscape (in the country(ies) covered), the challenges they face and their needs.

Applications for becoming an intermediary can be submitted by a single applicant or a consortium, which can be either national or transnational in scope (i.e., it is possible that an intermediary based in one Member State organises re-granting and capacity-building activities for CSOs in other Members States, if it has a relevant capacity and access to them). Intermediaries should devote most of their effort and funds to regranting, which would typically represent about 60-70% of the grant. The management costs of such a regranting scheme should be limited and reasonable.

Projects addressing this priority should pay attention to the specific needs and circumstances of women and men, girls and boys, in all their diversity. This also includes for intermediaries to ask their applicants in their own calls for proposals to pay attention to gender and age-related needs and risks. For more information, please see the section “Mainstreaming” further down.

Indicative funding available for this priority: EUR 10 000 000.

Projects can be either national or transnational. Transnational projects are particularly encouraged.

2. Targeted actions for the protection of and support for victims and survivors of gender-based violence and domestic violence

This priority will focus on setting up instruments for the protection and support of victims of gender-based violence, in particular:

• Support the setting up/some activities of one-stop shop (in person and/or online) or coordinated specialist support centres, so that the multiple support needs16 of victims of gender-based violence (including cyberviolence) are addressed at the same premises to the largest extent or provided in a coordinated manner. This includes the model of Children’s houses (Barnahus)17 or the model of the Family Justice Centres. These centres should also have the capacity of providing targeted and gender-sensitive support for groups at a heightened risk of violence due to their experiencing intersectional discrimination or due to their being in a vulnerable situation (e.g. people with a migrant background, LGBTIQ persons, racial or ethnic minorities which include women at risk of harmful practices, Roma people, women or children with disabilities or facing mental health issues, pregnant women, women in detention, women living in rural areas, women living and/or working on the street, persons in prostitution, elderly women).
• Setting up easily accessible rape crisis or sexual violence referral centres in line with the requirements of Article 26 of the VAW/DV Directive.
• tackling the need for immediate protection and support faced by victims of sexual and domestic violence, to prevent femicides, and allow effective investigation and prosecution. This could be achieved, for example, by:
• designing targeted training and innovative investigative tools to help relevant authorities increase their capability to swiftly identify and address (reported or suspected) instances of domestic violence (to support Member States comply with the requirements of Article 15 VAW/DV Directive);
• developing tools to help relevant authorities increase their capability to initiate the individual assessment of the risk emanating from the offender at the earliest possible stage (at, or immediately after the victim’s first contact with competent authorities), so that protection and support measures are immediately put in place, and further (domestic or sexual) violence is prevented (to support Member States comply with the requirements of Article 16 VAW/DV Directive);
• developing guidelines to help relevant authorities identify the enhanced protection and support needs of victims experiencing intersectional discrimination (to support Member States comply with the requirements of Article 21(g) VAW/DV Directive);

Indicative funding available for this priority: EUR 4 000 000.

Projects can be either national or transnational. Transnational projects are particularly encouraged.

3. Targeted actions for the prevention of gender-based violence, including cyber violence

Under this priority, gender-based violence will be prevented through:

• The development of specific measures to prevent rape and to promote the central role of consent in sexual relationships in line with the requirements of Art 35 of the VAW/DV Directive. Actions actively engaging men and boys in awareness-raising campaigns and programmes are particularly encouraged.
• Measures for the prevention of cyber violence that strengthen the digital literacy skills of online users in line with the requirements of Article 34 (8) of the VAW/DV Directive and reinforce positive narratives on gender equality and the role of women in public decision-making roles such as in politics and journalism who are particularly at risk of such attacks, as well as measures for the prevention of cyber intimate partner violence, empowering non-governmental organisations and other relevant actors to prevent and address cyber violence, including as trusted flaggers on online platforms. Actions may focus on development of tools for reporting, flagging and/or removal of harmful online violent content with gender connotation. Co-operation with and among national audio-visual regulatory bodies, non-governmental organisations, IT platforms, national authorities, equality bodies, and criminal justice systems is encouraged.
• Perpetrator programmes to prevent (re)offending, with a victim-centred approach and a focus on harmful stereotypes, peaceful conflict resolution in relationships and toxic masculinities (see Article 37 VAW/DV Directive).
• Measures to combat stereotypical portrayals of women and men in the media in line with Article 36(8) VAW/DV Directive) and/or to prevent sexual harassment in the film and audiovisual industry.

Projects are encouraged, in their interventions, to envisage the use of new and innovative tools, methods and applications which can also contribute to achieving more targeted and sustainable effects. They can cover new inter-disciplinary ways of working, reaching out to target groups, establishing dialogue with professionals, etc.

Indicative funding available for this priority: EUR 4 000 000.

Projects can be either national or transnational. Transnational projects are particularly encouraged.

4. Targeted actions making integrated child protection systems work in practice

Children may face different forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, physically, online, or in virtual worlds. Exposure to violence severely affects children’s physical, psychological and emotional development. It may affect their ability to go to school, to interact socially and to thrive. It can lead to mental health issues, chronic diseases, self-harm tendencies, even suicide. Children in vulnerable situations can be particularly affected.

Integrated child protection systems are key to the prevention and protection from violence. An integrated approach means connecting prevention, early warning, reporting, cross-sectorial support, and monitoring, in a multidisciplinary approach. An integrated approach puts the child at the centre and ensures that all relevant authorities and services work together to protect and support the child, in their best interests.

In line with the Recommendation, the overall aim of this priority is to contribute to systemic changes to prevention, protection and support to children in cases of violence through integrated child protection systems, i.e. through multi-disciplinary cooperation between relevant cross-border/national/regional/local authorities and education, child protection, judicial authorities, psychosocial support and social services, health care professionals (including mental health), care professionals and educators, digital, sport, leisure, media or culture, among others, closely involving families and children themselves, responding to children’s needs. The involvement of such actors and stakeholders – and notably public authorities notably at local level - in the project is therefore essential under this priority.

This can include, but will not be limited to, the development of combined tools and measures for:

• the prevention of violence against children, including but not limited to awareness raising (including children’s rights awareness and education), training, certification, standards and accreditation procedures for professionals and persons in contact with children, with a specific attention to children in vulnerable situations and at specific risk of violence;
• early identification (that helps recognise and address early signs of violence) and reporting of cases of abuses, strengthening child-friendly referrals between relevant national actors (e.g. law enforcement, the judiciary, support service providers, health and social service professionals), multidisciplinary assessment;
• multidisciplinary support, through integrated response activities, involving medical, psychosocial, legal, care support, education, and close coordination between authorities and actors at all levels;
• setting up accountability mechanisms on the basis of indicators, (self-) evaluation, data collection, including the development of self-monitoring and evaluation tools on the performance of child protection systems, and data on violence against children.

Taking into consideration the overall framework on integrated child protection systems, this priority will help to prevent and combat all forms of violence against children, and notably:

• harassment and (sexual) violence, notably happening in the formal and informal educational context, in leisure, cultural, sportive, or any community or recreational activities, in the domestic context, where children might be in specific situations of vulnerability; and
• online and offline bullying, notably at school or in leisure activities, cyberbullying and affecting children with specific vulnerabilities (e.g. children in alternative or foster care, children with disabilities, including mental disabilities, Roma children, children with a migrant background), or link to their religion, belief, gender or sexual orientation.

Children should be given the opportunity to participate in a safe, meaningful and inclusive way at the different stages of the implementation and monitoring of the projects. Strong attention should be paid to child protection safeguards given the sensitivity of the topic for any child, should it be in awareness-raising activities, or in any contact with child victims, witnesses or perpetrators.

Indicative funding available for this priority: EUR 5 000 000.

Projects can be either national or transnational. Transnational projects are particularly encouraged.

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