KARO (association)
| CHECK | |
|---|---|
| legal form | registered association |
| founding | April 28, 2004 |
| Seat | Plauen |
| purpose | Social work |
| Managing directors | Cathrin Schauer-Kelpin |
| Website | www.karo-ev.de |
CHECK e. V. is a registered association based in Plauen which was founded on April 28, 2004. KARO eV emerged from a model project started in 1994 by the Free State of Saxony for AIDS prevention.
tasks and goals
The association's task is to fight against forced prostitution , human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children as well as trafficking in women and children , taking into account health care .
The association also sees its task in developing and supporting projects that aim to protect, support and provide psychological and social advice to women, young people and children who are affected or threatened by physical, psychological and / or sexual violence .
KARO eV works on raising awareness, raising awareness and removing taboos in the areas of forced prostitution, commercial sexual exploitation of children and trafficking in women and children. However, the reduction of sexual violence against women and children in the context of improving the health and social situation as well as networking are also part of the work of the association.
The aim is to minimize infections and diseases from HIV / AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases . Furthermore, this cross-border work is intended to combat social isolation, the impoverishment of marginalized groups and ethnic minorities and organized crime, to highlight human rights violations and to lobby for those affected.
Since 2009 the work of the association is financed exclusively from contributions, sponsoring memberships, monetary and material donations.
Fields of activity
Advice centers
KARO eV maintains two advice centers as contact points for children, young people and women in the prostitution and drug milieu as well as for those affected by (sexual) violence. The counseling centers are in Plauen (Germany) and Cheb (Czech Republic). The consultations work with a systemic approach in the context of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases as well as the sexual exploitation of children, adolescents and women. Victims of all kinds of violence and sexual exploitation will find understanding contacts there. Advice is given to people who can no longer endure insults and blows from their partner. Adolescents and adults who were sexually abused, sold or forced into prostitution as a child and who have been plagued by nightmares and fears ever since. Mothers who have the horrible suspicion that their own child will have to endure sexual assault by their partner. Or those who have managed to separate from their violent husband and now hardly have the strength to continue fighting for a "normal" life without fear and violence.
Street work
Outreach social work in the form of street work contributes to improving the health and social situation of the women, young people and children affected. It is primarily aimed at behavior prevention. With its accepting, low-threshold approach, street work is a very good measure to gain insight into the existing problem situations. Changes in the scene can be perceived and new options for intervention determined. In the city of Plauen as well as in south-west Saxony, but especially in the border areas of Bohemia in the Czech Republic, the employees of the association seek out women, young people and children who are engaged in prostitution on the street, in apartments and brothel-like facilities. Street work primarily serves to break down inhibitions towards advisory services, to provide target group-specific information about health risks in the areas of HIV / AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, to distribute free condoms, lubricants, leaflets and brochures as well as to search for solutions to problems of any kind every month the street workers from KARO eV also offer a mobile soup kitchen for children from socially disadvantaged families, especially members of the Sinti and Roma ethnic group , in Cheb.
Shelter
Since 2009 KARO eV has maintained a shelter for victims of sexual and other violence. The house offers peace, protection and help for children, young people and women who have been victims of physical, sexual and psychological violence. Victims of child and women trafficking find accommodation here. Girls and women in social emergencies, before and after the birth, are also accepted into the shelter at any time. The house guarantees the accommodation of up to 25 children, young people and women in single rooms and apartments. The living rooms consist of single and double rooms. There are also group and consultation rooms, play and dining rooms and a sanitary and kitchen wing for communal use. The apartments consist of one or two rooms and a sanitary room. In some apartments there is a kitchen. As part of the therapeutic work, those affected should be encouraged to testify against their tormentors and to stand up for their rights and human dignity independently. They are given refuge, protection, medical, therapeutic, socio-educational and legal help in the house. The children, adolescents and women live voluntarily in the house and are given as much time as they need to be able to come to terms with what they have experienced.
Baby hatch
KARO eV has been operating a baby hatch in Plauen since December 23, 2008. Abortion, infanticide or child abandonment should be prevented, the life of a child protected and its health, as well as that of the mother, preserved after the birth. The mother (or father) should be provided with an alternative to the above-mentioned actions and thus be viewed as a last resort in a desolate life situation. The baby hatch is aimed at pregnant women and girls as well as fathers of all ages; so also to minors.
Public relations and networking
Other important areas of responsibility of the association include public relations, lobbying and networking, as well as the training and further education of employees and the support of research projects that deal with the problem areas in the association's field of activity. The association's public relations work is aimed at all sections of the population and serves to raise awareness, raise awareness and remove taboos in the areas of forced prostitution, sexual and other violence against children, women and young people as well as human trafficking. The public relations measures include, among other things, specialist lectures and workshops for educators, investigators and employees of government and non-governmental organizations who come into contact with the topics of sexual violence against women, children and young people and with sex tourists. Another aspect in this context is the implementation of media, lobbying and committee work as well as the national and international networking of government and non-governmental organizations dealing with the problems arising in the association's field of activity.
Working group "Sexual abuse against children in Plauen and in the Vogtland district"
In the “Sexual Abuse Against Children in Plauen and Vogtland District” working group, volunteers from KARO eV set up projects that are intended to sensitize fellow citizens in order to recognize sexual abuse of children, to stop them and to initiate measures against them. One project is the “Nothalt” project on the way to school, through which children in large and small emergencies can get advice and help in designated Plauen shops. The “Briefonius” project is a grief mailbox in a Plauen elementary school. By exchanging letters, children should receive support and specific offers of help.
Honors
- Women of Europe: On March 8, 2002, Cathrin Schauer and Ludmilla Irmscher were awarded the Women of Europe Prize - Germany 2002. The award ceremony took place in the French Friedrichstadtkirche on Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin.
- Nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize: Cathrin Schauer was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 and 2006 together with 999 women as part of the “PeaceWomenWorldwide” project.
- Vogtlander of the Year 2008: Catrin Schauer was voted first among ten candidates by the readers of the “Free Press” in Vogtland with 27.3% of the votes.
- Honorary membership of the women's network for peace: In 2011, Cathrin Schauer received honorary membership of the women's network for peace e. V. awarded.
- Cathrin Schauer has been named Katharina Ambassador of the Year 2012. At a ceremony, Torgau's Lord Mayor Andrea Staude presented the title, endowed with 3,000 euros, which is awarded for outstanding female commitment in memory of Martin Luther's wife Katharina von Bora.
literature
- Cathrin Schauer: Children on the line. Report from the German-Czech border . Horlemann 2003, ISBN 3-89502-174-1 .
- Commercial sexual exploitation of children in the border region as a chapter in the sexual abuse of children . Published by: Friedrich Ebert Foundation Prague, December 2004.
- KARO - Target group-specific, cross-border social project in prostitution and drug scenes as a chapter in AIDS and HIV infections . Editor: Dr. Jäger, ecomed Verlag, June 2004.
- That is my life! Is it a life Sexual exploitation of women and children in a Czech-German border region as a chapter in solidarity with women in need - 20 years of Solwodi e. V. Editor: Dr. Sr. Lea Ackermann, Reiner Engelmann, published in January 2005.
- Contribution to: Religion networked 9: Teaching work for Catholic religious teaching at grammar schools . Teacher Comment.
- Everyone gets what they want - sexual exploitation of women and children in a Czech border region as a chapter in the myth of Eastern Europe - prostitution, migration, trafficking in women. Published by: Berliner Wissenschaftsverlag, July 2006.