Gender challenges in Kaliningrad

As a result of the current financial and economic crisis both men and women experience the difficulties in the labour market. Analysis of the situation in the Kaliningrad Region reveals an alarming trend of significant deterioration of women's position in the labour market in comparison with men. Children and family responsibilities make women second-class workers in the employer's eyes.

The project "Kaliningrad Alliance on women's expansion of possibilities" has been developing by NGOs in Kaliningrad since 2008.The NGO"Starof Hope", a regional youth organization "Youth for the freedom of speech", the Agency of Milan Chamber of Commerce "Forma per" (Milan), an alliance of "Differ Donna" (Rome) with the support of the EU participate in this project. It is aimed to change the attitude of civil society to the problem of gender discrimination and domestic violence. Its initiators concider that the main mode of realizing the aims is the assistance in the potential growth of women's NGOs and women's groups, as well as raising public awareness by conducting research and development, supporting women's small business through training of qualified personnel and technical assistance.The government and NGOs in Kaliningrad conduct trainings, seminars, lectures for students, law agents, medical and social workers, psychologists, representatives of the media regularly to prevent domestic and sexual violence.

Activities are carried out by public associations and alliances and governmental authorities and local governments guiding their efforts to protect the family, motherhood and childhood. Thus, social and administrative structures interact with each other,acting as partners in the implementation of various projects in the field of equality. In 2009, a program "United for the sake of the family" was prepared to allow to reduce the number of families found in difficult situation and the number of children orphaned when parents were still alive. One of the measures aimed to restore gender equality and social rehabilitation of the citizens is preventive work with difficult families in particularthe surveys on the living conditions of children and adolescents. During 2009, there were 2,540 surveys, including almost 900 on the prevention of abandonment of minors.

Representatives of the local self-government of Kaliningrad and civil society activists agree that in current conditions the following directions of activities remain a special urgency: promotion of women on the decision-making level and in the executive branch and equalization of gender differences in the labour market, particularly with respect to wages. Also, programs to prevent and combat HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, tuberculosis, combating violence against women and trafficking should be developed.