On October 19, 2018, a scientific and practical seminar “Law and Gender Equality” was held on the basis of the Faculty of Law at PSU. The Department of Theory and History of State and Law, Students’ legal support service at PSU, Novopolotsk organization OO “Belarusian Union of Women” under the small grants program of the US Embassy in Belarus were the organizers of the seminar.
Svetlana Vegera, First Vice-Rector of Polotsk State University, Irina Vegera, Dean at the Faculty of Law, Irina Shakhnovskaya and Pavel Solovyov, the administrators of the project “Women in Law”, Elena Furs, Chairperson of Novopolotsk organization OO “Belarusian Union of Women”, gave a welcoming speech. The results of the project “Women in Law” were presented during the seminar. The project itself had been implemented in Novopolotsk from March to October in 2018. The leader of the project was Students’ legal support service financially supported by the US Embassy in Belarus.
The aim of the project was to provide legal support to women in socially assailable position (pregnant women, victims of domestic violence, single mothers who are caring for a child, retired women), who don’t have a possibility to receive legal support and whose rights are violated or not fully realized. During realization of the project, the students of the legal support service at PSU conducted consultations and provided lessons in legal education under the project “Street Law”. As a result, two brochures “Pravovaya Mama” and “Prava Zhenschin” were published. The brochures were distributed to Novopolotsk organization OO “Belarusian Union of Women”, to the school of young mothers at polyclinic № 1 of Novopolotsk.
A special guest, Aleksey Melnikov, supervisor of the small grants program of the US Embassy in Belarus, talked about the participation conditions, features and requirements for applicants who wish to participate in the program. Another special guest, Nadezhda Yuzefovich, Chairperson of Polotsk OOO “Belarusian Society of Disabled People”, spoke about problems of interaction between the social organizations in the sphere of disabled people rights defense. The next special guest, Olga Naboyshchikova, Chairperson of primary organization OO “Belarusian Union of Women” of the plant “Polymir”, presented the information about the aspects of work of OOO “Belarusian Union of Women”. One more special guest, Natalia Bubley, a specialist of Public Association "Gender Perspectives", provided a consultation on the topic “The Role of “Helpline” in Domestic Violence Prevention”.
The scientific and practical seminar “Law and Gender Equality” allowed to discuss current problems of gender equality in Belarus. Besides, the seminar gave birth to other projects between the Faculty of Law and social organizations and grant sponsors.
Irina Shakhnovskaya, Pavel Solovyov
Photos: the Faculty of Law at Polotsk State University, newspaper “Novopolotsk Segodnya”