In May 2025, the Ladies’ Union of Drama – HOH launched the “TIME TO TALK II” project.
During the first year of the project, a total of 909 secondary school students, 83 teachers, and 229 members of the general public were educated. At the same time, 15 families in which an incident of gender-based violence occurred have been supported, while 22 victims from vulnerable social groups—such as refugees, migrant women, Roma, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals. One year later, the project continues its work with vigor, aiming to prevent and combat gender-based violence through a comprehensive network of information, awareness-raising, and support initiatives. The initiative focuses on a holistic approach to the needs of victims of gender-based violence from vulnerable social groups, such as people with disabilities, people with migrant or refugee backgrounds, Roma, and LGBTQI+ individuals, while simultaneously promoting the psychosocial empowerment of secondary school students and the general population through targeted educational workshops.
The development of a strong collaborative network in the prefectures of Drama, Kavala, Xanthi, Rodopi, and Evros is of particular importance for the implementation and effectiveness of the project. The Regional Network for Combating Gender-Based Violence serves as a mechanism for coordination, exchange of expertise, and promotion of best practices, strengthening a joint and coordinated response to gender-based and domestic violence. In this context, bridges of cooperation have been built between key institutional and academic bodies, ensuring the direct interconnection of services and a holistic approach to addressing incidents.
The project’s academic collaborator is Ms. Sevasti Hatzifotiou, Professor in the Department of Social Work and Dean of the School of Social, Political, and Economic Sciences at Democritus University of Thrace, specializing in gender equality and domestic violence.
The Ladies’ Union of Drama – HOH. continues to implement the project with consistency and responsibility, steadily strengthening prevention, awareness-raising, and substantive support in the fight against gender-based violence.
“TIME TO TALK II” remains available to support victims of gender-based violence, as well as for collaborations with schools wishing to implement awareness-raising and educational activities, by contacting us at 25210-46062/ 58015, with the aim of immediately planning awareness-raising, prevention, and empowerment interventions.
The project “DEVELOPMENT OF ACTIONS FOR THE PREVENTION AND COMBAT OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE “TIME TO TALK II” is implemented under the “Eastern Macedonia and Thrace 2021–2027” Program, under the priority “Social Inclusion and Combating Poverty (ESF+).” The project is co-financed by the European Social Fund and is part of the Municipality of Drama’s Sustainable Urban Development Strategy.