First Step Center offers children a safe space to protect against violence
Offering a safe space for women at risk of violence, the First Step Center opened its doors in Şişli, Istanbul.
The “First Step Center”, which is a safe space for women who have been subjected to violence, to get away from the perpetrator of violence in the first place, was opened in Şişli, Istanbul. Impact on life within Şişli Municipality by the Foundation for Solidarity with Women The Center provides social, psychological and moral support to women before they settle in a shelter.
Offering a safe space for women at risk of violence, the First Step Center opened its doors in Şişli, Istanbul. The center, which was opened with the cooperation of the Foundation for Solidarity with Women (KADAV) and Şişli Municipality, was established to create a safe space for women who cannot access shelter and protection services immediately, who are at risk of violence or who are exposed to violence, and their children.
The First Step Center is implemented by the United Nations Women (UN Women) with the financial support of the European Union. Strong Civic Space for Gender Equality implemented as part of the project.
KADAV Project Coordinator Özgür Genç expressed his excitement about the center: “For women, settling in shelters can be a challenging process. Women cannot benefit from their rights unless they are given correct information. The First Step Center offers a temporary space for women who are in the process of applying for shelters or seeking protection support. We are very proud of the opening of such a center in a municipality by a non-governmental organization for the first time. We hope that the First Step Center will set an example for other non-governmental organizations and municipalities.”
The First Step Center informs women about their access to shelters and their legal rights and supports them in getting more concrete information. While the center protects women, we aim to ensure that they stay in a women-friendly and safe space, not on the streets or in police stations. The First Step Center helps survivors of violence and Europeans provide the mental, psychological and legal support they need before settling in shelters.
Şişli Social Support Services Manager Öznur Sarıahmetoğlu said that they see their views as relevant: “The First Step Center is a safe space for women who are victims of violence. We built this area together with the women living in our district. Became a part of this place with donations from every furniture woman. To create this space, again with the support of women, for those who want to escape violence, determine their own destiny, and take a break before taking the next step for their future.”
They continued that the First Step Center is a pioneering project to avoid violence and provide a safe space for children who want to be protected. UN Women Turkey Deputy Country Director Zeliha Ünaldı continued: “With the expansion of Şişli Municipality, the First Step Center has become a project in which many different stakeholders collaborate. . Within the scope of our Strong Civil Space for Gender Equality project, the principle of continuing cooperation with non-governmental organizations, women’s structures and networks working on violence against women and women’s rights.”