The “Gender, Peace and Security” Association, on 8th October 2025, organized its recurring awareness-raising meeting with the community. The meeting convened at the premises of the Multifunctional Community Center Nish-Tulla, Durrës with members of this community. The participants had limited knowledge on violence issues, and the meeting served as a good source of information for all attendees. The meeting was also attended by the Social Worker of the Needs Assessment and Case Referral Unit, as well as the Child Protection Unit Employee of District 5, which covers the area where the meeting was organized. The participants expressed that the Community Center in the area has served as a bridge between them, local institutions and the police through frequent meetings being held.  

On 6th October 2025, the recurring meeting of the Librazhd Local Council on Public Safety was organized, with a focus on sharing issues related to public safety in the community of Librazhd. During the meeting, the report of the local safety measurement system was presented, as well as the draft app “Report Now”, an initiative that aims to increase transparency and cooperation between children, teachers, parents, psychologists, school security officers and law enforcement institutions. An open and constructive discussion was held with the heads of police commissariat, where issues related to citizens’ perception of safety, especially for children, environmental issues, as well as assessments or concerns about the work of the police were addressed. In this meeting, the organization ‘Another Vision/Tjetër Vizion”, supported by the SCPA program staff, played an active role within the “PARTNER” project, part of round 1 of the program’s grant scheme. The meeting was much appreciated by the attendees, including the Mayor of Librazhd, who emphasized the importance of including all members – representatives of the prosecution, NGOs and religious communities – as an added value for strengthening public safety in the town.  

On 1st October 2025, the recurring meeting of the Local Council on Public Safety was organized in Gramsh, with the participation of the Mayor of Gramsh Municipality, the Prefect of Elbasan District and the Head of the Gramsh Police Commissariat. During this meeting, the organization “Another Vision/Tjetër Vizion”, supported by the SCPA program staff, played an active role in the framework of “PARTNER” project, part of round 1 of the program’s grants’ scheme. Besides, during the meeting, the report of the findings of the citizen survey on the perception of public safety issues and priority problems of citizens was presented. The current situation of public safety was discussed, with a focus on domestic violence, youth safety and online safety. The draft of the innovative application for reporting incidents in schools was also presented, receiving suggestions and ideas for its improvement. Special attention was paid to the involvement of youth, civil society organizations and the community with concrete recommendations for increasing safety at the local level. This meeting showed that only through close cooperation between institutions, civil society and citizens we can build a safer, more inclusive and stronger community.  

The SCPA Program, in cooperation with the Tirana Local Police Directorate, on 2nd October 2025, organized a consultation meeting with relevant employees of all Police Commissariats, as well as with the heads of the relevant sectors, in order to strengthen cooperation and increase the quality of the work of CPO Educators in educating and engaging youth. During the meeting, the most effective ways to improve the quality of awareness topics were discussed, as well as the challenges related to inter-institutional cooperation between the Police, Education Directorates and civil society. The ongoing logistical support that the SCPA Program provides for these initiatives was also emphasized. Subsequently, important issues were addressed such as: improving and adapting presentations to the current time and context; expanding awareness topics to higher educational levels, such as ninth grades and high schools; increasing cooperation with school security officers; their involvement in addressing civic education topics. At the meeting it was agreed to establish joint groups to improve existing curricula, as well as to engage experts in the field to address specific topics, such as cyber safety, road safety, drug awareness, and personal safety. At the end of the meeting, it was concluded to continue communication and further coordination on potential issues and concrete steps to improve work with youth.  

On 30th September 2025, a workshop was organized on the evaluation of the work of the Coordinated Referral Mechanism for Domestic Violence (CRM) in the Municipality of Fier. The activity was organized by the National Center for Community Services (NCCS) and brought together representatives from the member institutions of the CRM Interdisciplinary Technical Team, local administrators of administrative units, the Local Coordinator against Domestic Violence of the Municipality of Fier, the Gender Mainstreaming Specialist and representatives from the Municipality of Fier, police officers from Fier Local Police Directorate and Police Commissariat, representatives from the Office of the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination, school psychologists, representatives of the Murialdo Social Center, representatives of the Directorate of Social Services, representatives of the Regional Directorate of Social Services of the Fier District and other members of the CRM. During the workshop the draft report was presented and the findings and recommendations regarding the activity of the Coordinated Referral Mechanism for Domestic Violence Cases in the Municipality of Fier were discussed with the participants.The report will serve to improve the work of the CRM for the effective management of gender-based violence cases, including domestic violence, as well as to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation between responsible institutions. This activity was organized within the framework of the project “Increasing the efficiency and quality of service by the State Police, local actors and the community for victims of DV and GBV”, implemented by the National Center for Community Services (NCCS) and made possible by the SCPA Program Grants’ Scheme.  

Together with the school staff and administrators and employees of the Kavaja Police Commissariat, the Center for Development and Social Initiatives held an open discussion on 30th September 2025 on public safety and ways to improve communication and response mechanisms in cases related to school safety. The meeting was attended by 10th grade students who brought ideas, questions and suggestions for increasing safety in school environments and in the community. They shared their personal experiences and participated in role-play presentations, simulating situations that may occur in everyday life, to reflect on ways of responding and cooperating with institutions. During the meeting, informative presentations were made on school safety and community policing, raising awareness among youth about their role in preventing various incidents. The students expressed interest in becoming more actively involved in civic education initiatives and in strengthening the culture of cooperation with law enforcement institutions. Cooperation practices between schools and law enforcement structures were also presented to build a safer environment. This activity was organized in the framework of the project “Strengthening Local Mechanisms for Improving Cooperation and Public Safety in the Durres Region” which aims to contribute to increasing public safety through strengthening cooperation between the State Police, local institutions and the community.  

On 25 September 2025, a meeting of the Interdisciplinary Technical Team of the Coordinated Referral Mechanism convened at the Bushat Administrative Unit, organized by “Woman to Woman” NGO in the framework of the SCPA Program Grants’ Scheme. The meeting aimed to share strengths, address challenges related to the treatment of cases of violence and make proposals for improving the provision of services and inter-institutional cooperation. Representatives of member institutions of the Coordinated Referral Mechanism such as the Regional Employment Directorate in Shkodra, Shkodra Bailiff’s Office, Vau Dejes Labor Office, Vau Dejes Social Housing Office, Shkodra Prefect’s Institution and Shkodra District Council, non-governmental organizations, the Director of Social Services of Vau Dejes and the Local Coordinator against Domestic Violence at the Vau Dejes Municipality participated in this activity. During the discussions, difficulties were highlighted such as girls and women refusing employment, vulnerable groups, the lack of public transport that creates major limitations for the community, especially for the employment of women and the education of children, etc. In conclusion, the participants emphasized the need for timely budgeting of services for victim support and the need for community information and awareness.  

On 25th September 2025, the Albanian Center for Family Development organized an awareness session with students of the non-public high school ‘Rilindja’ in Durres, as part of the project “Awareness and Engagement of Youth for Safety and Education”. After a short presentation in class, the youth had the opportunity to try out the accident vehicle simulator. For some of them it was shocking, for others a very special experience: “Understanding the danger up close is completely different from hearing about it verbally”. With the support of safety experts and representatives of the Durres Local Police Directorate, as well as the school staff, the youth reflected on their behaviors and the role that each one has in preventing risks. The activity aimed to give the youth a voice in promoting a more conscious and responsible traffic culture.  

The “Gender, Peace and Security” Association organized its upcoming awareness-raising meeting with youth from the Manez High School on 26th September 2025. During this activity, some of the issues that concern the community were discussed, with a special focus on violence and the role of the police in managing cases of violence. Youth were informed about ways to identify signals of violence, as well as the relevant institutions where it can be reported, not only in cases of domestic violence and gender-based violence, but also violence among peers. Special attention was paid to the sharing of legal information adapted for the youth.  

A meeting of the Interdisciplinary Technical Team of the Coordinated Referral Mechanism convened on 24th September 2025 in Shkodra, organized by “Woman to Woman” NGO in the framework of the SCPA Program Grants’ Scheme. The meeting aimed to address the challenges related to the treatment of cases of violence and the protection of vulnerable groups in the community. This event was attended by representatives of the Coordinated Referral Mechanism member institutions such as the Local Education Office, the Regional Directorate of Health Services, the Local Police Directorate, the Regional Directorate of Employment Shkodra, the State Social Service, non-governmental organizations, the Vocational Training Center and the Local Coordinator at the Shkodra Municipality. During the discussions, a number of challenges were identified, among which the most important were the lack of budget for social services, limited housing capacities for victims of violence, difficulties in implementing parent-child meetings and the lack of support for mental health. Concerns were also raised about bias in the preparation of risk assessment reports and judicial decisions that often undermine the victim protection process. In conclusion, the participants emphasized the need for increased financial support, standardization of procedures at local and national levels, and strengthening cooperation between institutions. The recommendations emerging from this meeting are expected to contribute to improving the functioning of the Mechanism and providing more effective support to individuals and families in need.