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Daphne project IMPROVE

12 partner organizations - experts of women's shelters from 11 European countries - and 3 associate partners take part in the project IMPROVE. Project coordinator is the WAVE office in Vienna.

In many European countries women's shelters are still missing and/or there are not sufficient safe places for women and children affected by violence. In 1987 the European Parliament has released a recommendation that one refuge place should be available per 10,000 inhabitants in each EU country. Hardly any country of the EU has implemented this recommendation yet. Especially in the new member states women and children affected by violence receive only inadequate support by the state. The organisation and establishment of high quality work in women shelters is needed. IMPROVE can help reaching this goal.

The project aims to improve services and offers for victims of domestic violence by training and exchange of best practices in establishing and organising women's shelters. Women's shelters, important institutions in the fight against domestic violence, should work according to certain quality standards (e.g. protection, security, empowerment etc.).

Following two training seminars in Vienna, training seminars will be held in eight partner countries. The objective of IMPROVE is to pass on the importance of quality standards in women's shelters in order to sufficiently support women and children affected by violence.