IMECE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Imece Women’s Center held its Annual General Meeting on March 8, 2021 International Women’s Day. Imece, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, has had a significant impact on the lives of many women since its establishment, said the Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees Ümmügülsüm Hepinstall. She said the Imece team continues to work actively and has never given up despite all the lockdown challenges.

Imece Director Şenay Dur said they could react very quickly and worked in harmony during the pandemic. She thanked all the members, supporters, clients, volunteers, and financial supporters for their work and support in these difficult times. Also, Dur presented the 2019-20 Annual Report. Here are some prominent data from the annual report:

• Imece provides services for women in 8 areas: counselling and information, combating violence against women and girls, facilitating access to public services, group work and health promotion, education and research, social meetings and trips, and volunteering project.
• Imece reached 3,879 women and girls during the 2019-2020 period. While the center responded to a total of 1,540 telephone enquiries, it delivered 968 psychological therapy sessions. 294 women attended the Tea Time Group Work.
• Imece supported migrant and refugee women in 24 London boroughs. The boroughs where the center works more actively are Hackney, Islington, Haringey, Enfield, Waltham Forest, Camden and Barnet.
• The distribution of women who benefit most from Imece services by age group is as follows: 36-45 years old, 46-54 years old, 55 years old and above. In the upcoming period, Imece aims to increase its services for young women as well.

The AGM continued with the introduction of the services and projects by the managers. Speaking on behalf of the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Service, Anıl Göktürk said they support Turkish, Kurdish, Turkish Cypriot, BAMER women who have been subjected to physical, emotional, sexual violence, forced marriage, honor related violence and/or female genital mutilation. Göktürk stated they give information to women about safe housing, civil and criminal remedies such as non-molestation or restraining orders, social assistance and available options to ensure the safety of women, and that they implement the support plan determined by the women. Göktürk added they also provide training to police, local authorities, schools, social workers and other professionals on violence against women.

Emel Yüksel, who gave information about Advice, Counselling and Volunteering Services, listed the services they provide as follows: social assistance for women, support for emergency loans, creating a network of opportunities for women who want to work, support in health-related issues (GP and hospital appointments, translation of medical reports, filling out NHS questionnaires, etc.), support for housing and accommodation, support for access to care workers and pension payments, support for financial independence and free travel for women over 60, organizing therapy and self-confidence sessions, organizing women’s workshops, and training volunteers. Following the presentation of the financial report, IMECE Annual General Meeting ended with the election of the Board of Trustees and Service User Committee.