Deadline: 7-May-25
The European Commission is seeking proposals to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children.
Objectives
- To fight violence, including gender-based violence and violence against children by:
- Preventing and combating at all levels all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls in all their diversity and domestic violence, including by promoting the standards laid down in the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence;
- Preventing and combating all forms of violence against children, young people and other groups at risk, such as LGBTQI persons and persons with disabilities;
- Supporting and protecting all direct and indirect victims of the forms of violence, such as the victims of domestic violence perpetrated within the family or within intimate relationships, including children orphaned as a result of domestic crimes, and supporting and ensuring the same level of protection throughout the Union for victims of gender-based violence.
Themes and Priorities
- Priority 1 – Large-scale and long-term actions on tackling gender-based violence, with regranting (giving financial support to third party Civil Society Organisations)
- Through this mechanism, EU funding should help to support, empower and build the capacity of independent civil society organisations active in preventing and combatting diverse forms of gender-based violence, in particular:
- Domestic violence and sexual violence: providing protection and support tailored to the specific needs of victims of these forms of violence, including specific medical and psychological support, victim-centered and traumainformed services, access to justice, increased accessibility of shelters or other interim accommodations, also for those victims experiencing intersectional discrimination, in line with the requirements of Article 30 of the VAW/DV Directive, including in remote or rural areas.
- gender-based cyber violence: tackling cyber violence, such as cyber gender-based incitement to violence or hatred, cyber stalking, cyber harassment and bullying, non-consensual sharing of intimate or manipulated material (exacerbated by the use of artificial intelligence), extortion with the use of sexual imagery (‘sextortion’), grooming, etc.
- harmful practices: tackling female genital mutilation, intersex genital mutilation, forced abortion, forced sterilisation, child and forced marriage, honour-related violence, gynaecological and obstetric violence, and other harmful practices against women and girls, as well as forced medicalisation of trans people and conversion practices targeting intersex and LGBTIQ people.
- Through this mechanism, EU funding should help to support, empower and build the capacity of independent civil society organisations active in preventing and combatting diverse forms of gender-based violence, in particular:
- Priority 2 – Targeted actions for the protection of and support for victims and survivors of gender-based violence and domestic violence
- This priority will focus on setting up instruments for the protection and support of victims of gender-based violence, in particular:
- Support the setting up/some activities of one-stop shop (in person and/or online) or coordinated specialist support centres, so that the multiple support needs of victims of gender-based violence (including cyberviolence) are addressed at the same premises to the largest extent or provided in a coordinated manner. This includes the model of Children’s houses (Barnahus) or the model of the Family Justice Centres. These centres should also have the capacity of providing targeted and gender-sensitive support for groups at a heightened risk of violence due to their experiencing intersectional discrimination or due to their being in a vulnerable situation (e.g. people with a migrant background, LGBTIQ persons, racial or ethnic minorities which include women at risk of harmful practices, Roma people, women or children with disabilities or facing mental health issues, pregnant women, women in detention, women living in rural areas, women living and/or working on the street, persons in prostitution, elderly women).
- Setting up easily accessible rape crisis or sexual violence referral centres in line with the requirements of Article 26 of the VAW/DV Directive.
- tackling the need for immediate protection and support faced by victims of sexual and domestic violence, to prevent femicides, and allow effective investigation and prosecution.
- This priority will focus on setting up instruments for the protection and support of victims of gender-based violence, in particular:
- Priority 3 – Targeted actions for the prevention of gender-based violence, including cyber violence
- Under this priority, gender-based violence will be prevented through:
- The development of specific measures to prevent rape and to promote the central role of consent in sexual relationships in line with the requirements of Art 35 of the VAW/DV Directive. Actions actively engaging men and boys in awareness-raising campaigns and programmes are particularly encouraged.
- Measures for the prevention of cyber violence that strengthen the digital literacy skills of online users in line with the requirements of Article 34 (8) of the VAW/DV Directive and reinforce positive narratives on gender equality and the role of women in public decision-making roles such as in politics and journalism who are particularly at risk of such attacks, as well as measures for the prevention of cyber intimate partner violence, empowering nongovernmental organisations and other relevant actors to prevent and address cyber violence, including as trusted flaggers on online platforms.
- Perpetrator programmes to prevent (re)offending, with a victim-centred approach and a focus on harmful stereotypes, peaceful conflict resolution in relationships and toxic masculinities (see Article 37 VAW/DV Directive).
- Measures to combat stereotypical portrayals of women and men in the media in line with Article 36(8) VAW/DV Directive) and/or to prevent sexual harassment in the film and audiovisual industry.
- Under this priority, gender-based violence will be prevented through:
- Priority 4 – Targeted actions making integrated child protection systems work in practice
- This can include, but will not be limited to, the development of combined tools and measures for:
- the prevention of violence against children, including but not limited to awareness raising (including children’s rights awareness and education), training, certification, standards and accreditation procedures for professionals and persons in contact with children, with a specific attention to children in vulnerable situations and at specific risk of violence;
- early identification (that helps recognise and address early signs of violence) and reporting of cases of abuses, strengthening child-friendly referrals between relevant national actors (e.g. law enforcement, the judiciary, support service providers, health and social service professionals), multidisciplinary assessment;
- multidisciplinary support, through integrated response activities, involving medical, psychosocial, legal, care support, education, and close coordination between authorities and actors at all levels;
- setting up accountability mechanisms on the basis of indicators, (self-) evaluation, data collection, including the development of self-monitoring and evaluation tools on the performance of child protection systems, and data on violence against children.
- This can include, but will not be limited to, the development of combined tools and measures for:
Funding Information
- The estimated available call budget is EUR 23 000 000.
- Priority 1: 1M – 3M EUR
- Priority 2: min 100k EUR
- Priority 3: min 100k EUR
- Priority 4: 100k – 1M EUR
Eligible Activities
- Activities shall include:
- Awareness-raising, including social media or press campaigns, outreach and empowerment activities, including communication activities and dissemination of information;
- Capacity building and training for professionals and relevant stakeholders, in particular train-the-trainer programmes, training activities of national, regional and local authorities;
- Design and implementation of strategies, protocols, development of transferable working methods and tools, coordination of platforms and groups;
- Design of services and measures improving access to victim support services and development of guidelines and manuals for these support services
- Identification and exchange of good practices, cooperation, mutual learning, development of working and learning methods, including transferable mentoring programmes;
- Development of resources, toolkits and manuals to provide practical guidance for specialised support services;
- Analytical activities, such as research, and the creation and implementation of tools or data bases/data collection strategies and systems.
Eligibility Criteria
- In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- non-EU countries:
- countries associated to the CERV Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature.
For more information, visit EC.