In 2018 NGO Atina has gained a new and important ally in its combat against violence against women – UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF). Today, we had a great pleasure and honor to host representatives of UNTF, to present our experience in providing direct assistance to women and girls, survivors of human trafficking and violence against women. We have also presented the work of our Reintegration Center and social enterprise Bagel Bejgl. We were specially pleased to meet a distinguished guest of UNTF, Princess Eugenie of York,  who has shown a particular interest for the work of NGO Atina. Princess Eugenie supports the work of various initiatives aiming to improve the life of youth, and she is involved in raising awareness around the issue of human trafficking and modern slavery.

UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) is a specialized UN agency, established in 1996, works with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments and UN country teams to:

• prevent violence against women and girls by empowering groups especially at risk of violence, including adolescent girls and indigenous or ethnic minority women, and engaging strategically with boys and men as well as traditional and faith-based leaders to prevent violence;
• improve access to services, such as legal assistance, psychosocial counselling and health care, by increasing the capacity of service providers to respond effectively to the needs of women and girls affected by violence; and
• strengthen implementation of laws, policies and action plans on violence against women and girls through data collection and analysis, and by ensuring that institutions are more effective, transparent and accountable in addressing violence against women.

In 2018, Atina has started cooperating with UNTF on the project that aims to support women and girls from refugee population, especially survivors of violence, in access to adequate services.