On 20 March, KMOP brought together more than 80 professionals and key stakeholders in Athens for the event “The Role of Friendly Spaces in Women’s Empowerment: A European Perspective”, sparking meaningful discussions on the importance of intersectional cooperation and collective action in empowering women.
Through four dynamic thematic sessions with representatives from the European Commission, policymakers, and field professionals, we offered participants the opportunity to explore innovative approaches to women’s empowerment from five European countries—Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Opening the event, Jenny Lazarou, Coordinator of KMOP’s Human Rights Department, emphasized the importance of safe spaces with a particular focus on KMOP’s social service “Friendly Space for Women and Girls”. This initiative serves as a hub for empowerment, protection, and access to information, resources, and services for women and girls, with the ultimate goal of reducing exposure to gender-based discrimination and violence. The “Friendly Space” operates as a referral and liaison point for key stakeholders involved in women’s empowerment and protection, underpinned by the principles of solidarity, cooperation, inclusion, confidentiality, and trust. To date, we have empowered more than 80 women and girls through this social service.
Keynote speeches by Ioannis Brachos, Head of the Office of the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings, and Monika Ekstrom, Policy Officer at DG HOME, European Commission, also provided a deeper understanding of the national and European frameworks in place to combat human trafficking and protect victims. Mr. Brachos outlined the national strategy for addressing trafficking, while Ms. Ekstrom shared insights into the EU’s updated strategy for 2021-2025, highlighting stronger law enforcement tools and improved victim support mechanisms.
In the first thematic session of our event, we focused on the role of the European strategy in combating human trafficking. Cristina Idone Befecadu (CESIE, Italy) and Maria Elli Doufexi-Kaplani (Senior Researcher, KMOP) led the conversation, emphasising the essential role Friendly Spaces play in protecting and empowering women and girls at risk of exploitation.
Three engaging panels followed, each offering valuable perspectives from professionals.
In our first panel, “Creating a Protection Network for Victims of Human Trafficking”, our invited experts Theodora Gianni (National Centre for Social Solidarity – EKKA), Stefania Toufexi (A21), and Anisa Loli (SolidarityNow), shared their unique perspectives and experiences from the field in Greece. The panel, moderated by Maria Elli Doufexi-Kaplani (KMOP) highlighted the challenges in identifying victims, emphasised the importance of strengthening national referral systems and frontline professional training, and focused on the mobile clinic units in Greece as a good practice.
The second panel, titled “Empowering Women with a Migrant Background through a Holistic Integration Model”, featured Jessica Gilbert (Glocal Roots), Emilios Klimis (Médecins du Monde Greece), Anastasia Mouratidou (Metadrasi), and Katerina Paschou (Syrian American Medical Society – SAMS), moderated by Nefeli Papagiannakou (KMOP). The discussion delved into the barriers faced by migrant and refugee women in the integration process, from safe housing and childcare services to access to the labour market and legal support. Additionally, the experts explored the importance of skills development, psychosocial support, and culturally sensitive approaches in fostering the successful integration of migrants and refugees into their host countries, while also emphasizing the critical role that Friendly Spaces can play in supporting this process.
In the third panel, titled “The Role of Safe Spaces in Women’s Empowerment: A European Perspective”, we heard Maria Chiara Monti (Centro Penc, Italy), Kristina Stonyte (KOPŽI, Lithuania), Elena Carmen Nitu (AidRom, Romania), Nadia Kozhouharova (Animus Association, Bulgaria), and Georgia Alexandrou (KMOP, Greece), moderated by Silvia Calcavecchio (IRC, Italy). During the discussion, we analyzed the daily challenges professionals face in creating and maintaining friendly spaces for migrant and refugee women, concluding to the importance of integrating these spaces into broader national policies on gender equality and women’s rights to ensure their long-term impact.
KMOP’s “Friendly Space for Women and Girls” operates every Monday and Thursday from 15:00 to 17:00. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact us via email at [email protected] or [email protected], or by phone at +30 210-3637547.
