Research Project VI.C.T.I.MS

with the title

An indirect harmful effect of violence: Victimizing the child and Re-victimizing the woman-mother through her child's exposure to violence against herself.

Sensitizing and creating awareness through research-product material, both transnational and differential according to the partner-context.

(CYPRUS, ITALY, ROMANIA, SLOVAK REPUBLIC)

(Funded by EU - Daphne III Programme)

(JLS/2008/DAP3/AG/1157)

Applicant of the particular Research Project is the University of Cyprus- UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment and specifically 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.

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 counseling, TV broadcasting and educational material, d) the web-paged sustainable communication and counseling 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 exposed to violence against their mothers.

The duration of the particular Project with the acronym VI.C.T.I.MS (VICTIMS – VI-ctimizing C-hildren T-hrough I-njuring M-otherS) is 24 months.