The increasing number of recorded incidents of gender-based violence, with femicides representing its most extreme manifestation, highlights the urgent need for meaningful interventions within the community.
Within this context, on Thursday, 27 August 2026, the team of the “TIME TO TALK II” project visited the open-air market in Drama in order to inform producers and vendors about the project, as well as the available mechanisms for immediate protection, support and referral for victims of gender-based violence. Informational material was also distributed, providing useful information and contact details for the relevant services and support structures.
The open-air market constitutes an important space for social interaction and community engagement, attracting citizens from different social and geographical areas across the Regional Unit of Drama. Its selection as a setting for this intervention allows for direct engagement with the community and broadens access to information, particularly for individuals who may not otherwise seek support or approach a relevant service or support structure on their own initiative.

Particular emphasis is placed on the collective effort and responsibility of the local community in addressing gender-based violence. Through the cooperation between LUD-HOH and the vendors of the Farmers market, the initiative aims to establish an informal yet consistent point of information, where relevant information will remain visible and equally accessible to everyone. In this way, the open-air market can become another space for community mobilisation, ensuring that both individuals experiencing violence and those who may be aware of or witness an incident know where they can safely seek help and support.
The initiative will continue on Thursday, 3 September, in a new format, through the use of specially designed and durable informational material placed in a public area of the market. The aim is to ensure that information remains available and visible to citizens, strengthening their ability to recognize incidents at an early stage and seek appropriate support.
This initiative forms part of a wider range of dissemination, information and awareness-raising activities targeting the general population. Its objective is to promote broader access to information and encourage the active involvement of the local community in addressing gender-based violence. Through cooperation and a presence in spaces that form part of everyday life, the project seeks to contribute to the development of a community that is informed, supportive and unwilling to remain indifferent.

The project “DEVELOPMENT OF ACTIONS FOR THE PREVENTION AND COMBATING OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE – TIME TO TALK II” is implemented within the framework of the “Eastern Macedonia and Thrace 2021–2027” Programme, under the priority “Social Inclusion and Combating Poverty (ESF+)”. The operation is co-financed by the European Social Fund and forms part of the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy of the Municipality of Drama.