Companies come together to support survivors of violence

The private company PMO, in collaboration with UN Women, invited its business clients to a brainstorming meeting to generate ideas of how companies can prevent violence against women and lend a supporting hand to women who are establishing a new life, free from violence.

The meeting joined together Human Resources managers from 15 different private companies with the purpose of coming up with joint solutions for the socioeconomic empowerment of women who are survivors of domestic violence. PMO’s cooperation with UN Women has entailed monthly trainings to women who are survivors of violence. Salome Makaridze, senior partner at PMO, spoke about how the process has been eye opening for them as a company, noting, “As soon as we started delivering the trainings, I realized that we all may become subject to violence, and in some cases it can really break us down, while in other cases we may endure and become even stronger. Delivering the trainings for women survivors has been very rewarding for us.”

Tamar Barkalaia, Director of the State Fund for Protection and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking and Domestic Violence, also emphasized the importance of economic and employment support to break the cycle of violence, stating that, “Economic independence is of vital importance. Without an income to support herself and the children she may have, there is great risk that the woman sees no long-term solution and sees herself forced to reconcile with the perpetrator.”

During the brainstorming session, there was great engagement from the side of the companies, generating a wide range of ideas for possible engagement of the private sector in the socioeconomic rehabilitation of survivors of domestic violence. The range starts with coaching, employing, and covering fees for kindergartens or transportation; progresses to creating a platform of companies offering trainings based on their expertise and the profiles of the beneficiaries; and finishes with organizing internal trainings inside the companies on how to recognize and prevent violence against women. Natia Mikhanashvili from the microfinance institution CREDO stated that, “I feel very strongly about supporting this, and we could offer employment for a number of interested women in our company already today.”

The ideas will be followed up by PMO in collaboration with UN Women as another tangible step to promote the private sector’s engagement to empower women survivors of domestic violence