"Marem" human rights project receives "Femfesta" Award

The human rights project "Marem" by Svetlana Anokhina, a journalist from Dagestan, has won the first place in the nomination "Helping Project of the Year" of the "Femfest-2021" International Festival on Gender Literacy, Freedom of Choice and People's Dignity. In the Caucasus, helping victims of domestic violence and blackmail is much more difficult than in other regions, Svetlana Anokhina has stated.

The festival itself was launched five years ago as a "story" about gender knowledge in an educational and entertainment format, said Irina Izotova, the founder of the "Femfest".

Svetlana Anokhina has recalled that the project is named after Marem Alieva, who had suffered from her husband's violence and disappeared in 2015. According to Svetlana, the "Marem" helps women from Dagestan and other republics of Northern Caucasus, whose health and life are at risk due to domestic violence.

The region needs the initiatives that protect women's rights, says Saida Sirazhutdinova, the president of the "Caucasus. Peace. Development" Centre for Studying Today's Global Issues and Regional Problems. However, according to her story, she does not want the events that made this project known to happen in the region.