1) Research Project CODE-IWP: Commitment to Democracy Through Increasing Women's Participation
Title of the project: Commitment to Democracy Through Increasing Women's Participation
Funding: Europe for Citizens Programme
Duration: 1,5 year, January 2015 - June 2016
The project's website: www.womensparticipation.com/en/
Short description of the project: Parliaments are the most important floors for the implementation of Gender Equality, Women's Empowerment, and (male and female) voters' sensitization towards equality and towards the social profits from valuing women's contribution to National and European (N&E) development and progress. The low percentages of women's participation in the European Parliament according to the 2014 elections indicate that short term measures and campaigns just before the elections are not as efficient as was expected. This project aims the continual encouragement of female participation and, more specifically, in the increase of women's participation as voters and as candidates in both the N&E elections and political life. The partnership is purposefully designed to include four countries with low percentages of female representation in National and European decision making bodies (Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Portugal) and one model country (Finland) with relatively high percentages of female representation. the project's objectives are: a) Bring together and engage youth representatives, media stakeholders, politicians and researchers from each country in the analysis of the existing barriers to participation in European Policy Making and in the preparation of an integrated strategy for increasing youth and female participation in N&E decision making bodies; b) Provide face-to-face and online animation training for women who aspire to a career in N&E politics; c) Provide online workshops and participatory seminars for voters, men and women, from a variety of social and professional groups for promoting equality, equity and democratic participation; d) Build an electronic forum and website, linked with the electronic social media, for promoting the aim and objectives of the project; e) Establish an on line tool for gathering the citizens' opinions; f) Produce a short TV film for advertising the campaign and the project's aims; g) Establish a European Network for Women in Politics (EUNWPOL) for sustainable volunteer engagement.
The project's network: CYPRUS, University of Cyprus, Professor Mary Koutselini (Coordinator); PORTUGAL University of Porto, Professor Helena Araújo; FINLAND, University of Oulu, Dr Mervi Heikkinen; LATVIA, Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy, Professor Sandra Rone; LITHUANIA, Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, Professor Irena Zaleskienė.
2) Research Project VICTIMS: VIctimizing Children Through Injuring MotherS
Title of the project: An indirect harmful effect of violence: Victimizing the child and Re-victimizing the woman-mother through her child's exposure to violence against herself.
Funding: European programme DAPHNE III (action grants 2007 - 2013)
Duration: 2 years, December 2009 - December 2011
The project's website: http://www.ucy.ac.cy/victims/en/
Short description of the project: This project has a twofold aim: Firstly, to address the problem of the indirect harmful effect of violence against women mothers upon their children if exposed to it in the domestic sphere, as well as mothers´ conscience of that effect and secondly, to address the problem of lack of research based information on the issue as well as of sensitization. This will be reached by: a) data collection for mothers´ awareness about the indirect harmful effect of violence against them upon their children if exposed to it b) investigation of possible indirect harmful effect on children and comparison of their perceptions and self-images with children not exposed to violence against their mother c) production of research-product guidelines for the development of informational, web-based counselling, TV broadcasting and educational material, d) the web-paged sustainable communication and counselling e) multi-level dissemination of the results. The project is innovative as content and methodology is concerned and its results can contribute to the current EU policy areas regarding the indirect harmful effect of violence against children.
The project's network: Applicant of the project is the University of Cyprus- UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment. The project's coordinator is the UNESCO Chairholder in Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, Prof. Mary Koutselini, Department of Education. The partnership of the project consists of three partners of the UNESCO Chair's Partnership (Università di Roma Tre, Italy – Leader: Prof. Sandra Chistolini, University of Presov, Slovak Republic – Leader: Prof. Iveta Kovalcikova and University of Oradea, Romania – Leader: Prof. Secui Monica) and fifteen associate partners (GOs and NGO's) in the participating countries.
3) RESEARCH PROJECT KEGYME: "Gender mainstreaming in the Mass Media of Cyprus and the relationship with the perceptions of youth. Comparison with the EU policy"
PROJECT FUNDED BY CYPRUS RESEARCH PROMOTION FOUNDATION
Gender representations in Cyprus TV and the necessity for their deconstruction (submitted for publication)
Gender representations in Cyprus TV and students´ perceptions (submitted for publication)
