Belgium
Garance, a Brussels-based NGO, promotes the primary prevention of gender-based violence through feminist self-defence. We also work on related issues such as women’s fear of crime, safety and security policy and gender and public space. The goal of all our activities is to increase the agency of the participants, through the critical analysis of the social and political conditions that lead to violence and discrimination and through the valorisation of their resources for resistance. Our approach is participative and aims at women’s autonomy and full respect of their human rights. We havea longstanding expertise on feminist self-defence for women with learning disabilities and will coordinate the project on the European level, all while organising activities for women with disabilities in Belgium.
AVIQ, the Agency for a Life of Quality, is the public interest organization in charge of implementing well-being and health, disability and families policies in the Walloon Region. In terms of disability, the agency is the public service responsible for information, assistance and advice on the inclusion of people with disabilities and more particularly:
- Awareness raising and information about disability;
- Help and advice related to care, accommodation and domestic assistance;
- Financial support for specific equipment that promotes daily autonomy
- Support for labour market participation through employment and training grants
- Accreditation and subsidy of services that provide care to persons with disabilities but also host, employ, train, advise and support them.
France
Faire Face is a Toulouse-based NGO for preventing and combating violence against women and adolescent girls. Since 2007, it organizes workshops in feminist self-defence which are open to all women, regardless of age, origin, belief, sexual orientation or social status. For women with disabilities, the association has embarked on a training course to be able to open its workshops to them. Our objective is to fight against violence and to encourage the agency, freedom, self-confidence and autonomy of women and adolescent girls (empowerment). We create spaces to develop and strengthen their resources, their determination and their capacity for action. Faire Face’s methods reveal to women and adolescents their potential for strength and power. Self-defence is neither a hobby nor a sport, but a method of physical and psychological empowerment, designed by and for women. Against the mainstream safety discourse, we address the conditioning, fears and specific forms of violence that impact their public, private, professional or school lives.
Germany
Bundesfachverband für feministische Selbstverteidigung und Selbstbehauptung – BV FeSt e.V. was founded in 2002 and is the federal association alliance of self-defence teachers and other feminists who support the organisation’s objectives. By providing information and education about all forms and causes of discrimination, paternalism and sexualised violence, BV FeSt aims to create awareness for the right to a self-determined, life free of violence and to counteract and prevent sexualised violence against women. For BV FeSt the prevention of discrimination and sexualised violence against women and girls is an essential factor in the struggle for equality between women and men as well as the respectful and dignified cooperation between all social groups.
In addition to publications, lectures and other educational services, BV FeSt particularly promotes the dissemination of feminist assertiveness, empowerment and self-defence (Wendo and Jede kann sich wehren) and has developed quality standards to ensure the quality of the classes. BV FeSt is committed to the goal of inclusivity and equality and aims for the social participation and well-being of women and girls with disabilities. Therefore BV FeSt has participated in a study to develop training tools for women with disabilities.
Since 1984 Unvergesslich Weiblich, a non-profit association run by a team of professional – mostly freelance – Wendo teachers, has been offering classes in feminist assertiveness/self-defense for women and girls. Next to the classes in its own space, Unvergesslich Weiblich cooperates with the local support system for women in search of work, women with drug addictions, homeless women, women with mental illnesses, women living in women’s shelters etc. Classes for girls are organized with schools, institutions of the youth welfare service, district work and others. From its inception, Unvergesslich Weiblich has worked on being inclusive: all classes are open for women with disabilities, and there exist a long-term cooperation with the care services for people with disabilities. Furthermore the association offers a training of teachers, that matches the national quality standards. Unvergesslich Weiblich contibutes its valuable expertise as a member of the regional network against violence against women.
Wendo Marburg e.V. is a non-profit association providing classes for feminist empowerment and assertiveness in the Marburg region. Since the beginning, Wendo Marburg pursues an inclusive concept with the goal that women with all kinds of disabilities can participate in every class or workshop. To realise inclusive classes and workshops with fewer barriers – e.g. wheelchair accessible facilities, orientation systems for blind people, easy-to-read announcements – Wendo Marburg is involved in regional administrative and political networks. Furthermore Wendo Marburg cooperates with local institutions, social services, Marburg university and institutions serving people with disabilities and is part of the regional networking system to end violence against women. All trainers working for the association have participated in a 2 ½-year training of Wendo teachers that matches the quality-standards of the federal feminist self defense association BVFeSt e.
Poland
Fundacia Autonomia struggles for every single girl and woman’s safety and courage, so they can make their own decisions freely, so they can develop, and join their efforts to change the shape of the world together. Our motto is: ‘strength, courage, solidarity’. We wish to build an empowered and resilient society, able to resist the discrimination and violence based on gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, ability or any other factor. We are strongly committed to accessibility and the inclusion of intersectional perspectives. We rely on expertise and extensive experience in the fields of: empowerment; WenDo – feminist self-defence, the prevention of violence and discrimination; civic and anti-discrimination education; awareness-raising campaigns and advocacy. We do civic organizing, run the Girls’ Power Centre and the Girl’s Repair Café, and support professionals, organizations and institutions through trainings for trainers (‘No-one’s Born Prejudiced’ and ‘WenDo Academy’), educational material, counselling.