As per the World Economic Forum, we are 100 years far from closing the gap between women and men in health, education, economy and politics. Besides that, women who use drugs are often more vulnerable, suffering poverty, lack of social support, gender-based violence and stigma. Punt Dona Dianova will place the individual and her personal autonomy at the core of its programmes, addressing the gender barriers that hinder the recovery and social reintegration process of women living with addiction.

This initiative will be based in Granollers’ municipality, on the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain

In 2019, Spain had 39,757 reported cases of gender-based and domestic violence, with a 2.2% increase from 2018. Among these, 36,745 victims were women, 3811 in Catalunya alone. This year, already 6 women were killed by a violent man in Catalunya. Although studies demonstrate that substance use (by the perpetrator, the victim or both) is involved in as many as 92% of reported domestic violence, there is a general shortage of gender-disaggregated data on addiction. Based on its strategy on drugs (2016-2020) Granollers’ municipality has established a few initiatives, mostly operating during public events. While there is also a resource centre for women, it does not address issues related to the social reintegration of women recovering from addiction. Punt Dona aims at filling this gap.

This initiative is targeting women of 18 to 65 years of age, who have been in residential or outpatient addiction treatment programs and are now ready to start actively looking for a job. Every year, at least 25 women successfully complete treatment in our nearby therapeutic community of Can Parellada, in L’Ametlla del Vallès. We know they need this kind of support, but most likely there are many more women in a similar situation who would benefit from it. The centre would also assist the families and children of the women involved, to whom we would like to provide complementary support services. By establishing new partnerships, we want to involve the local community and expand the positive impact of the activities taking place in the centre, increasing civic engagement.

To achieve the socio-occupational reintegration of people at risk of exclusion, it is essential to work on their motivation for change and accompany them through the process. In individual weekly sessions, applying the biopsychosocial integrative model theorized by Prochaska and DIClemente to sustain the motivation for maintaining abstinence, the beneficiaries will pursue gradual and intentional behaviour change. Group weekly sessions, during which the beneficiaries will edit their CV, create profiles on online job searching platforms, work on interview techniques and simulations, will focus on career coaching. Meanwhile, in collaboration with the municipality, the job services and local businesses, we will work on establishing an integrated internship and job placement programme.

During the first year of having the centre operational, we expect to individually assist about 30 women (direct beneficiaries). We envisage a success rate of about 30%, which means that at least 9 women will have received and accepted an employment offer within the first 12 months of the project. We expect to benefit, indirectly, the families of those women (children and other dependents), reaching about 90 additional people. Since we also plan to organize four sessions with girls in local high schools, about 200 of them will gain awareness on addiction and gender-based violence prevention. Connecting with other civil society organizations and local administrations will likely provide channels to look for additional strategic support and increase the project’s reach.

Employing people who use drugs is a fundamental step to achieve their social integration and improve their psychological and physical health. Employment provides a role in society, and stimulates positive self-perception. Having a job allows a person to occupy their time productively and participate in their community as active citizens. For drug-dependent women, finding a job is an even greater challenge. Not only the structural gender gap affects them, they often have to manage children singlehandedly and might face stigma. Considering that, in 2019, in Granollers there were 2,024 unemployed women, compared to 1,495 men, it becomes clearer that empowering local women having drug issues requires specific and dedicated support.

Dianova España has been working on addiction and social justice for over three decades. We have been very active in Catalunya, where our organization has become a point of reference in addressing the problem of addiction and violence from a gender perspective. During this time, we became aware of the resource gaps in supporting the reintegration of women into employment, particularly those in vulnerable situations. For this reason, we decided to proactively propose an idea that could approach women’s empowerment in an individualized yet holistic manner, putting our experience and knowledge at the service of a vulnerable group that is greatly affected by stigma and discrimination, but still mostly invisible in the global public health agenda.

Project team costs:
Project manager (200 hours): EUR 3,400
Project manager (portion co-sponsored by Dianova International, 200 hours): EUR 3,400
Psychologist (part-time: 50%): EUR 18,000
Employment counsellor (part-time: 45%): EUR 13,000

Office & management costs:
Office rent: EUR 5,800
Office expenses (water, light, heating): EUR 1,500
Phone & internet: EUR 1,100
Office supplies: EUR 900
Travel costs: EUR 1,200
Communication budget: EUR 1,500
Other admin costs: EUR 3,600

It would be great to hear from other organizations working on similar topics in other countries, to connect with them and hear what they think about our idea, as well as if they are interested in supporting us or in any multi-country collaboration or exchange.