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Our main objectives are:
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to promote abidance by women's human rights,
to promote gender equality in Ukraine, to raise status
of lesbian women in the society, to help lesbian women
satisfy their social, economic, and cultural needs and
interests. |
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to contribute in development of socially and
politically active GLBT community |
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to bring an end to discrimination, stigmatization
and inequality of GLBT people in Ukrainian society |
Founders of IEC "Women's Network":
Layma Geydar, Iryna Korobko, Natalia Gurkivska
Current Coordination Council of IEC "Women's Network":
Layma Geydar - Head of the Coordination Council
Nataliya Nagorna - Deputy Head of the Coordination
Council
Olga Shevtsova - Member of the Coordination Council
The Department on Justice of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine
on April 17, 2000 in Kiev officially registered Informational
and Educational Center "Women's Network". Registration
No. 0094-2000GO .
During the years of our activities, a lot of issues considering
lesbianism and attitudes to it in Ukrainian social life have
been identified and researched The activities of the organization
aim to improve social status of lesbian women in Ukrainian
society. A lot has been done in this respect. First of all,
the organization carried out series of training programs for
lesbian activists from different regional communities all
over Ukraine and representatives of Mass Media. The organization
sets up to maintain close ties with lesbian communities in
Ukraine and abroad. One of the most significant achievements
of IEC "Women's Network" is the first in Ukraine
qualitative study of lesbian life in Ukraine. The research
resulted in publishing a brochure "Being Lesbian in Ukraine".
The results of this study constitute a background of entire
project FEMINIST LESBIAN POINT and main argumentation of its
necessity. In the course of the research we faced a lot of
convincing facts that witness an urgent need for developing
programs that target lesbian women and are directed towards
improving their social status all over Ukraine.
Ukrainian lesbian communities differ in their organization
and way of community building from their Western counterparts.
Lesbian communities of the West have a longer history of activism
and struggle for their rights, establishing NGOs and centers,
lobbying political decisions, fighting stereotypes and homophobia,
developing own field of the contemporary scholarship.
On the contrary, in Ukraine for a long time there was no
opportunity even to mention such phenomenon as lesbianism.
For example, during USSR times there were no chances for starting
lesbian movement or any lesbian activism at the social and
political arena. There was no opportunity for lesbian community
building. Even encyclopedias did not mention lesbianism or
lesbians. Lesbianism was considered to be psychical disorder
and unmentionable vice. Nowadays democratic standards presuppose
equal rights for all citizens irrespectively of their sexual
orientation. Thus, social policy and State legislation should
be in accordance with social diversity. At the same time,
research carried out by IEC "Women's Network" showed
that Ukrainian State inherited the majority of stereotypes
considering attitudes to lesbianism from the past so it is
impossible to talk about Ukrainian democracy in this respect.
Our research showed that in contemporary Ukraine the whole
spectrum of discriminatory mechanisms is applied at the social
and state level: compulsory seclusion at home, forced marriage,
limited opportunities for immigration and traveling abroad,
dismissal from job, obstacles considering getting education,
physical and psychological violence from parents or/and other
relatives, offenses, humiliating treatment by colleagues at
work or mates at school or University, blackmailing etc. Lesbian
women are maltreated by police and meet humiliation, violence
and offences. Thus, there is no opportunity for them to defend
their rights. Lesbian women cannot get adequate to their needs
medical help, register civil partnership or marry, and adopt
a child. Media are full of false, distorted, negative, and
stereotyped information about lesbian women. There are still
cases of compulsory medical treatment of lesbian women that
violates national and international norms.
Social consciousness is held captive by myths that prevent
tolerant and unprejudiced attitude to lesbian women. Even
when there are gender monitoring of the State legislation
and gender research… problems of gay men and lesbians are
merely passing over in silence.
Lesbian women are left without any assistance in resolution
of their vital problems, because there are no specialists
and institutions that are well acknowledged about peculiarities
of lesbian lifestyle. Moreover, lesbian women lack knowledge
about gender equality and their own human rights. This prevents
lesbian women from being active in social life and demanding
observation of their human rights (however, it is true to
say that not only lesbian women are affected by this problem
in Ukrainian society). In our opinion, when society stigmatizes
and discriminates gay men and lesbians, it looses the enormous
intellectual and creative potential of these people.
Participants of the 'Feminist Lesbian Point' project analyze
international and Ukrainian documents on human rights focusing
on lesbian women's rights, studying international experience.
Furthermore, during the last year we carried out and analyzed
basic studies and research considering lesbian women's problems
and needs in Ukraine and abroad. We take active part in international
and national conferences, seminars, and trainings on diverse
issues.
We are the first and, so far, the only one of women's organizations
or projects in Ukraine that focus on lesbian women's problems
from the position of human rights and gender equality. This
is why we consider our 'Feminist Lesbian Point' a very necessary
and unique project that addresses lesbian women's problems.
The project is aimed to draw attention of Ukrainian officials,
Mass Media, and broader public to lesbian rights violations
and position of lesbian women in Ukrainian society. The project
is also targeted at raising and reinforcing social activism
within Ukrainian lesbian community.
Informational and Educational Center "Women's Network"
strategic goals:
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To participate in formation of state policy
related to lesbian women |
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To form tolerant attitude of Ukrainian society
towards lesbians |
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To provide informational, educational and consulting
services to lesbian women, their relatives and friends,
as well as to specialists interested. |
Directions of work:
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Academic research program |
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Informational and educational program |
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Consultative and methodological program |
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Analytical program |
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Advocacy and lobbying program |
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Fundraising and PR program |
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