In the YASEMIN counseling center, social workers advise young women between the ages of 12 and 27 who find themselves in these and similar situations. YASEMIN also advises trusted third parties, such as teachers or friends, in order to help the young women and girls in conflict situations. The social workers are available anonymously, by telephone and in person, in the counseling center and on site, free of charge and also in Turkish, to enable the girls to lead a self-determined life. Since January of this year, the agency has been advising 134 affected and trusted people.
The help is low-threshold, which means that prompt and needs-based advice is ensured. Because the young women are often very closely monitored by their families and cannot always come to the counseling center themselves, the social workers also work on the go and meet with the girls outside the counseling center.
Due to the corona pandemic, these contacts are often more intensive and frequent at the moment. Although personal consultations are still possible and take place under the applicable hygiene rules, it has become more difficult for many of those affected to seek help, especially if their family members are permanently at home due to the pandemic. Despite the school closures, the office is still receiving more and more requests for advice. Before Corona, the consultants were also traveling throughout Baden-Württemberg and gave lectures that are now taking place online.
Similar to the YASEMIN counseling center, there is no counseling service for young men, although they too can be affected by forced marriages and violence. They often find it even more difficult to seek help or talk about it. Therefore, the counseling center launched the #Erhrenmann project, in which young men can exchange ideas with a male counselor in a protected environment. The project is currently no longer running. However, there is the #Ehrenfrau project in parallel. Role models, choosing a partner, prejudices, sexuality, traditions and gender-specific topics, as well as rights and duties, are discussed with schoolgirls from the 7th grade and trainees, and the children and young people are made aware of them.
We would like to support the organization and are therefore donating €5 per order to the YASEMIN advice center on Girls Day 2021.
Even after Girls Day, you can continue to support the association with donations! Since it is not regularly financed, YASEMIN relies on them to offer the young women more opportunities to help. Often they have nothing or very little after their flight. YASEMIN can then issue them vouchers, for example, to support them. The counseling center also works in working groups with other youth welfare organizations in Stuttgart, which also benefit from the donations.
On the homepage of the association www.eva-stuttgart.de you will find all contact details and further information about the work of eva and the YASEMIN counseling center. The counseling center is also active on Instagram @yasemin_beratungsstelle.
Author: Isabell Gritzka
