21-06-2023 23:52
For nearly 25 years, the PULSE Foundation has been helping victims of domestic and gender-based violence with a national hotline and a crisis centre in the town of Pernik. During this time, the issue has become an important topic of discussion for the society which allowed many women who are afraid to talk about their stories, to come out freely and seek help. Inspired to help at a local level, in 2019 a group of volunteers in the town of Kardzhali, with the support of the municipality and the expertise of the PULSE Foundation, created the Trust Club. The Foundation helps with monthly trainings for the club team and passes on its invaluable experience of working directly with the victims.
We are visiting the Trust Club where we are welcomed by its coordinator - Mrs. Mujgyan Adem and 4 ladies from the volunteer team. They all have different professions - nurse, social worker, psychologist, etc. What unites them is the cause of helping victims of domestic and gender-based violence. A project under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism allows this not only to happen, but also to develop with visits and campaigns in the small settlements of the municipality. Together with the Foundation, we formed teams and acted in parallel, which allowed us to enter the Roma neighbourhoods and collect many stories," says Ms. Adem.
The beginning was difficult, but over time the team at the club gained trust and has long been recognised as a place to rely on for help. From here, the number of alerts grows to about 20 a month and the counselling schedule is full for two months ahead. And the cases are as different from each other as the people. That's why the approach is always individual. "It's very difficult to work out an algorithm when a call like this comes in (to the helpline). For that we work individually according to the need, which makes the role of the person on the phone even more important. We do the same on the ground in localities within the municipality. We provide specialized support," says Ms. Adem.
The ladies of the club tell about one of the many cases, "Almost 2 years ago we had a series of meetings with mayors in localities again. A few days after that, the mayor of one of them called us for an alert. An elderly woman, now a mother and grandmother, had once again sought help from her because of her husband who was drunk and physically abusive. We invited the victim to our home and helped her fill out an application and to see a medical examiner. It was then decided in court that the husband be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for several months for treatment. Since then, to this day, the woman says that after 20 years of living under physical abuse, the husband has stopped hitting her. Perhaps the fact that the man understood that she had support and was not alone helped here."
The Trust Club has many plans for the future. The Kardzhali Regional Administration is providing 2 rooms free of charge which will be used for meetings with victims. There are also hopes for the appointment of a permanent coordinator to the club, because everyone works as volunteers and has another main job. There is also more work to be done to make society more aware of what domestic and gender based violence means, and what rights anyone who has been the victim of violence has. Because there is help. The ladies understand that only together the three parties - the municipality, NGOs and state authorities - can successfully address the issue.
About their work, the ladies of the "Trust" club say - "It is an inner attitude and vocation that you either carry it in your heart or not. We are all driven by this feeling - that by helping people this energy changes us in a positive direction too. You take that satisfaction of what you've done home and you pass it on to others."
How to contact the Trust Club in Kardzhali? Every working day, from 10.00 to 17.00, on 0899 100 245. As well as the 24-hour helpline for victims: 076 60 10 10. The club also has a "Trust Room". It offers counselling for people seeking support, training and team meetings. Consultations are completely free of charge and the helpline in Kardzhali is bilingual with priority given to Turkish.