Solwodi

Solwodi (abbreviation of "Solidarity with Women in Distress") is an international human rights and women's aid organization that advises and supports victims of human trafficking, forced prostitution, and relationship violence.

History

The religious Lea Ackermann from the Community of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa founded this organization, which has been active in Germany since 1987, in 1985 in Mombasa on the Kenyan coast. [2] The doctor of education had been sent to Mombasa by her order to train religious teachers and was confronted with the suffering of prostitutes there. Lea Ackermann suggested to her provincial matron that she do something for the women and girls who prostitute themselves because of their poverty, which she welcomed, but could not promise any money for. So Sister Lea wrote 100 letters to relatives and acquaintances in Germany in which she asked for ten marks per donor per month for a women's center that was set up in a dilapidated warehouse and converted into an educational and work center for people getting out of prostitution. [3]

Present

Solwodi Kenya is now an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) with headquarters in Mombasa and 34 different advice centers on the coast and in Western Kenya. In addition to psychosocial care, health education, and legal advice, Solwodi Kenya's tasks include providing women in prostitution with vocational training and providing microcredits for starting up businesses. In addition, Solgidi (Solidarity with Girls in Distress) was created in Mombasa in 2002 for daughters of prostitutes. There is a high risk that these girls will also end up in prostitution. By covering the costs and providing individual support, they are able to attend school. Solgidi also supports families in particular need with food and medicine. According to Sister Lea, around 400 children now benefit from the Solgidi program every year. [4]

Solwodi also runs its own agricultural, health and sports projects in Kenya.

Solwodi can also be found in: Romania, Austria, Hungary, Rwanda, Nigeria.

In the Federal Republic of Germany, Solwodi is committed to helping women in emergency situations with a German association based in Koblenz and six state associations in Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Berlin, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The focus is on caring for victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution, but also victims of relationship violence and women and girls who are threatened with forced marriage or have fled from forced marriage. Traumatized refugee women and their children are also taken in and cared for. There are 19 Solwodi advice centers in Germany: in Aachen, Aalen, Augsburg, Bad Kissingen, Berlin, Bonn, Boppard, Braunschweig, Duisburg, Fulda, Koblenz, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Mainz, Munich, Oberhausen, Osnabrück, Passau, and Regensburg. The employees offer comprehensive, holistically oriented psychosocial care and advice, safe accommodation in seven Solwodi shelters, provision of legal and medical help as well as support in returning to their home countries if migrants want or have to return. [5] [6]

In 2020, 1,917 women from 101 countries turned to one of the 19 German Solwodi advice centers for advice for the first time.

In order to be able to help effectively, Solwodi Germany is networked with other advice centers and organizations at home and abroad. In Germany, the organization has 75 permanent employees (including 16 women religious), voluntary working groups and 16,000 friends and supporters. [7] Solwodi is a member of European Movement Germany [8] and is supported by, among others, Zonta International [9] and the Sir Peter Ustinov Foundation. [10] Solwodi is committed to a “Europe without prostitution” [11] and is a founding member of CAP international (Coalition against Prostitution). In 2020, SOLWODI Deutschland eV was also a founding member of the Nordic Model Alliance.

From April 2nd to 5th, 2019, Solwodi organized the “3rd” in Mainz together with CAP INTL and “Poverty and Health in Germany eV”. World Congress Against Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls”, in which 400 international NGOs and private individuals took part. The “Mainz Declaration” was adopted as the final document at the congress, in which, among other things, For Germany, the introduction of the “Nordic Model” (ban on purchasing sex) was called for as a legislative instrument for the area of ​​prostitution. As of February 28, 2020, 1,620 private individuals and organizations had joined the appeal to introduce the Nordic Model. Since 2013, Solwodi has generated a further 33,600 signatures for the project in her campaign "Make the end of it! No women's slavery in Germany". Lea Ackermann handed over the total of 35,220 signatures to Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on March 2, 2020.

Since July 1, 2020, Solwodi has been led by a three-member board: Maria Decker (Chairwoman), Gudrun Angelis and Barbara Wellner. As Solwodi founder, Lea Ackermann continued to support the association until her death at the end of October 2023 and represented the organization in public at workshops and lectures.

Literature

• Michael Albus: Der Kampf geht weiter. Damit Frauen in Würde leben können. Biografie zum 80. Geburtstag von Sr. Dr. Lea Ackermann, Patmos-Verlag, 2017, ISBN 978-3-8436-0884-8.
• Sr. Lea Ackermann, Barbara Koelges, Sr. Annemarie Pitzl: Solwodi Deutschland 1987 bis 2017, 30 Jahre Solidarität mit Frauen in Not in Deutschland, Rhein-Mosel-Verlag, 2017, ISBN 978-3-89801-351-2.
• Lea Ackermann, Mary Kreutzer, Alicia Allgäuer: In Freiheit leben, das war lange nur ein Traum. Kösel-Verlag 2010, ISBN 978-3-466-30878-1.
• Lea Ackermann, Fritz Köster, Cornelia Filter: Über Gott und die Welt – Gespräche am Küchentisch. Kösel-Verlag 2008, ISBN 978-3-466-36737-5.
• Lea Ackermann, Cornelia Filter: Um Gotteswillen, Lea! – Mein Einsatz für Frauen in Not. Verlag Herder 2005, ISBN 3-451-28717-X.
• Lea Ackermann, Inge Bell, Barbara Koelges: Verkauft, versklavt, zum Sex gezwungen – Das große Geschäft mit der Ware Frau. Kösel-Verlag 2005, ISBN 3-466-30691-4.
• Lea Ackermann, Reiner Engelmann: Solidarität mit Frauen in Not. 20 Jahre Solwodi e.V. Horlemann-Verlag 2005, ISBN 3-89502-201-2.
• Barbara Koelges, Birgit Thoma, Gabriele Welter-Kaschub: Probleme der Strafverfolgung und des Zeuginnenschutzes in Menschenhandelsprozessen. Eine Analyse der Gerichtsakten. Solwodi 2003, ISBN 3-8311-4190-8.
• Grenzüberschreitendes Verbrechen – grenzüberschreitende Zusammenarbeit. Schutz und Betreuung von Gewalt- und Menschenhandelsopfern. Solwodi 2003, ISBN 3-8330-0336-7.
• Criminalité transnationale – coopération transnationale. Protection et prise en charge des victimes de la violence et de la traite des êtres humains. Solwodi 2003, ISBN 3-8330-0491-6.

References

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