Electronic informant JULY– SEPTEMBER Year 2012, no. 05
WOMEN’S VISION
WOMEN FROM THE BALKANS WILL FORM A NETWORK FOR STRENGTHENING THE CAPACITIES CONTENTS Conference for 2 people in poverty Support from the 2 partners and the family Dismissals in the 3 industrial sector Confession of a family violence victim
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At the beginning of September, 2012 a regional seminar on: “Strengthening the capacities of employed women and networking on the Western Balkans” took place in the Republic of Macedonia. The seminar was organized by the Institute for trade union and development policy ISCOS and ITUC in cooperation with partner organizations from Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The seminar’s topics were related to the EU legislation, strategic planning, conducting campaigns and networking. Women workers from trade union organizations and women members of the NGO sector were the target group.
The aim is the potential power of women who work in trade unions and nongovernmental organizations to be better structured and improving their profile when decision making process related to internal policy is concerned and leading trade union’s policy for better gender sensitivity in the political exchange with public authorities in the Balkan countries. The results expected from the seminar were to increase the number of women who participate in the decision making process in order to extend the participation of women on leading positions in trade unions, then formation of network of women trade unionists on the Balkan which will be strengthened and a necessary platform for communication and for long-term relations and mutual cooperation will be created and similar things for improving the role of the woman in trade union and nongovernmental sector. Representatives of UNASM, KSS and SSM participated at the seminar.
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WOMEN’S VISION
Year 2012, no. 05
Conference of people who live in poverty and are socially excluded Macedonian platform against poverty (MPAP) in cooperation with the Human Rights Institute “Ludwig Boltzmann” organized the Second conference of people who live in poverty and social exclusion. The aim of the conference was to draw public’s attention to the difficult conditions in which poor people live and the problems they are facing. The Declaration for people who live in poverty that
was prepared at the First conference was reviewed at the event. The Macedonian platform against poverty in cooperation with Street artists organized a charity under the motto: “From the poor for the poor” that took place on the Macedonia square. The collected means will be dedicated to strengthening the capacities for development of selling and communication skills for person belonging to the marginalized groups. UNASM, as member of MPAP, participated in all these activities.
People are asking their partners and family for support more than they ask their friends In times of crisis people rely on family and companions and then on their friends- showed the research made by the British Council for economy and social surveys conducted with 40.000 people. These findings oppose modern thesis that good friends of people may offer them help and support to their families. One fourth of men tell their friends the worries they are preoccupied with, while less than half of the women do so. About 88% of people think that they are well understood by their partner, while only 10% disappointed their partners by offering to little support in difficult moments. 94% of them said that they would rely on the partner in the most difficult situations. Family members and friends also offer positive reliance, but consolation is mostly found in the conversations with the partner. However, women are those who talk with the family and the friends about their problems, but not as much as they do that with their partner. “Gender differences are perceivable and women looking for support confess more to other women, while men do that more often. Also, their approach towards the family is different.” – concluded the leader of the research, Heather Lorry, PhD.
WOMEN’S VISION
Year 2012, no. 05
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The industry fired 4 percent of the workers The trend of reducing the number of workers in the industry continues in the month of August. The State statistical office of the Republic of Macedonia has made a comparison between the situation in August this year and the situation in August the last year which shows that the number of workers in the industry has reduced for 4,1 percent. Due to difficult conditions in this period, the processing industry has decreased the number of workers for 5 percent or about 6.472 of the total number of employed in this industry were left jobless. On the other hand, sectors that last year had good production results such as mining and energetics have increased the number of workers for 0,1 percent and 0,7 percent respectively. State Statistical Office’s data show that the number of workers compared to last year, this year was reduced for 2,1 percent for the period of eight months.
Confession of a family violence victim V.K. 49 year old woman, client in the Center for legal aid Skopje Why the shirt he wants to wear is not ironed or washed or why aren’t those specific socks that match with his clothes ready? He would start to apologize for neglecting me and the child, he said he would change, it was just a matter of time, and then he would snap and all with end with…. it could not be called making love, it was rape. Afterwards I felt even more miserable. I could not eat enough. I started to vomit. Tachycardia became part of my everyday life. I had to go to the emergency several times due to heart problems. Once we an ambulance was called because I passed out. He kept me next to him the whole night swearing it will not happen again. However, after few days he continued with his common behavior. I would get mad; I would say that I am going to leave him that I cannot take it anymore. He would see that I was yelling, that I drink tranquilizers and he would say that he would stop this behaviour. That would last two or three days. At the beginning I blamed myself thinking that maybe I have done something wrong. I talked with close friends, I asked them how they perceive me, I thought it trough and I could not find guilt in myself. I tried to talk to a really close friend of mine, but she did not believe me. She taught that I am only imagining thing because my husband was a typical example of a good family man. Every woman who is family violence victim should declare the case and not to be quite so that she will not reach the level I did. I recommend this to every person and I know that there are a lot of similar cases in Macedonia. We stay quiet, I know they are afraid. They should not be afraid anymore. They should publicly say what is going on.
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TRADE UNION ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION WITHIN UNASM St. Vasil Gorgov no.39 1000 Skopje Republic of Macedonia phone. +38923230307 SOS line for mobbing victims +38923220252
For the publisher: publishes: editor:
Divna ZMEJKOVSKA SOOZ within UNASM Rubincho ARIZANKOSKI
email. ozunasm@gmail.com Electronic informant UNASM Newsletter Email: unasmbilten@gmail.com