Completed Projects

POGUM (Courage)

Duration: 2022

“Courage doesn’t mean having no fear. Courage means persisting despite fear.” (Unknown author)

The POGUM project aimed to alleviate hardship and create equal opportunities for women displaced by the war in Ukraine and now living in Slovenia. In any conflict, children and women are the most vulnerable and quickest to be affected. This project focused specifically on refugee women as a vulnerable group.

Wars, state collapse, natural disasters, etc., are conditions in which criminal networks and war profiteers aggressively recruit women of all ages for various forms of exploitation—most commonly prostitution, but also forced labor, domestic servitude, coerced criminal activity, surrogacy, and more.

The project’s activities were dedicated to empowering this target group. The Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants offered access to the women. We organized therapeutic workshops and integration activities aimed at stress relief, promoting positive thinking, building courage, fostering connections, expanding social networks, and encouraging cultural engagement.

Planned activities brought positive results on an individual level for each woman who participated. Our aim was to help them recognize as early as possible that their education, skills, and experiences remain theirs—and that being refugees does not mean they have to accept risky job offers and income opportunities, which could lead to even more traumatic consequences than those already caused by the war.

It is essential they become aware that the host country is obligated to protect them from potential exploitation and further violations of human rights. By offering refuge and access to employment, education, housing, and social services, Slovenia offers them the opportunity to live a normal and dignified life.

The project was co-financed by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

SOOS TzL Project

Duration: 2015–2016

Through a public call, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia allocated funds to co-finance support, counselling, and care programs for persons without mandatory health insurance for the years 2015 and 2016. Društvo Ključ was selected with its program: CARE, ADVOCACY, COUNSELLING AND EDUCATION FOR VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND AWARENESS-RAISING FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS.

The aim of the program was to reduce health inequalities and improve access to healthcare services for victims of human trafficking (hereafter HT), as well as for their relatives—those who assisted them in seeking help and consequently suffered psychological and health-related consequences themselves. In accordance with the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, these individuals are also entitled to protection and all forms of assistance, including adequate healthcare (and were included in the programs run by Društvo Ključ).

The program also focused on raising awareness among healthcare professionals about human trafficking and provided relevant trainings.