SAMUSOCIALPERÚ ~ The first link in an intervention chain that ranges from emergencies to social inclusion

The Social Risk Prevention Center of Samusocial Perú strengthens the work of mobile teams through care, awareness and protection actions for the most vulnerable populations of Huaycán, especially victims of family violence. The Center or “Station” of Samusocial Perú in Huaycán is open 24/7.

Family Violence Prevention
The close relationship developed with the population of Huaycán allowed Samusocial Perú to identify a serious situation of violence against women and children, a consequence of the 1990s violence traits, of the complex social exclusion phenomena, and the persistence of a sexist viewpoint on women’s role in the society and family. It is worth mentioning that over half of Samusocial Peru’s interventions are related to a situation of violence against women and children. Accordingly, Samusocial Perú has developed a number of actions coordinated in several fronts:
- Care for women victims of violence under serious risk
- Community-awareness workshops on family violence prevention
- Strengthening of network actions
Protecting and empowering women victims of family violence under serious risk
The Social Risk Prevention Center is also an emergency shelter for women and children victims of family violence, whether referred by partners in the intervention area, by mobile teams, or who turned to the Station on their on will. The lodging is considered a period for protection and recovery, during which the Center’s multi-disciplinary team provides comprehensive advice with assistance, social counseling, psychological and emotional support to the sheltered women and their children. Through gender-based structured work sessions, the team aims at empowering and strengthening the capacities of sheltered women and children, working towards their social reintegration, improving their self confidence and decision-making processes. Coordination is also made with public structures and competent associations of the local network in order to guarantee their protection, as well as the continuity of the legal process and psychological support in health facilities and specialized NGOs. Accordingly, the team seeks to encourage the socio-economic integration of sheltered people through vocational workshops organized by a network of NGOs and craftworks businesses of Huaycán. The process continues with the follow-up of beneficiaries through domicile visits by a social worker, who provides counseling and social guidance.

Community awareness workshops on family violence prevention
Family violence is a social issue that involves not only the victim and the aggressor, but also the general community. The fear of reprisals or lack of knowledge about their rights leads the victims to not always report the aggressions. In view of this, Samusocial Perú organizes community-awareness workshops on family violence prevention in order to address violence’s factors, characteristics and consequences, based on the experience of the participants, comprised of women, workers, mothers and/or women community leaders. Likewise, workshops facilitate the strengthening of participants’ capacities to face violence situations in their environment. Later, empowered women act as a link between the community and Samusocial Perú to detect and provide counsel to victims of violence.

Strengthening of networking and incidence towards local institutions
As part of the actions of the Coordination Roundtable for Family Violence Prevention and Assistance in Huaycán, several seminars are held to measure the progress of the activities carried out by police and legal institutions, and by the civil society, to tackle violence against women and children. Likewise, public and private institutions undertake to implement coordinated actions for preventing family violence, which is an issue of serious incidence in Huaycán.