ABOUT
The ISEDA project and its Objectives
Team
The ISEDA project and its Objectives
The ISEDA project (Innovative Solutions to Eliminate Domestic Abuse) is a Horizon Europe project gathering 15 partners from 9 countries. Its total budget is 3 million €, received from the EU’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme and from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee. The project aims to combat and eliminate domestic violence by employing an enriched European approach, utilizing modern technological tools and practices and improved multi-sectoral expertise in its activities.
The project will develop a chatbot, which will employ empathetic language and inform victims on ways to get help and assistance (ex. hotline numbers, police or other first responders to de-escalate violent situations). An accompanying integrated data platform will gather court-proof evidence to be used to build a legal case and record trends on the nature, frequency and circumstances of domestic violence.
A serious game will provide training to primarily police officers through interactive learning. Participants will develop the necessary skills to better assess domestic violence situations, respond accordingly, better assist victims and treat their cases in a just manner.
The ISEDA project will also develop awareness raising campaigns, which integrate expertise gathered by working with victims, as well as education programs, which will focus on sensitizing and engaging students, fostering know-how on deconstructing toxic gender stereotypes and gender-based violence, promoting healthy relationships and zero tolerance to violence.
The perpetrator programmes implemented by the project will serve as a chance for positive change, as they have the potential to significantly increase the quality of life of both victims and perpetrators.
The Objectives
ISEDA’s main objective is to produce, test, evaluate and upscale innovative solutions against domestic violence and abuse in Europe.
TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE KÖLN – THK – Germany
Type of organisation: University
Short description: The Technische Hochschule Köln – University of Applied Sciences – is a University of Technology, Arts and Sciences. With its disciplinary and cultural diversity and openness, TH Köln’s activities are aimed at achieving cultural and technological breakthroughs of high societal relevance. TH Köln closely collaborates with local, national and international partners and was awarded the quality seal “HR Excellence in Research” by the European Commission, certifying that it meets international standards in the field of human resources development.
Role description: Two departments at TH Köln are involved in the project: the Cologne Game Lab (CGL) and the Institute for Social Law (ISR). The CGL team, led by Prof. Emmanuel Guardiola, is in charge of the project coordination and the development of a serious game, which will function as a training tool for police officers. The ISR team, led by Prof. Sefik Tagay, will offer their valuable expertise for consultation in legal aspects and the development of the simulations.
SOPRA STERIA GROUP – SSG – France
Type of organisation: Private company
Short description: Sopra Steria is a European Tech Leader, recognised for its consulting and digital services, and software development, which help their clients drive their digital transformations to obtain tangible and sustainable benefits. It provides end-to-end solutions to make large companies and organisations more competitive by combining in-depth knowledge of a wide range of business sectors and innovative technologies with a fully collaborative approach. Sopra Steria places people at the heart of everything it does and is committed to making the most of digital technology to build a positive future for its partners.
Role description: As part of the ISEDA project, Sopra Steria will develop and deliver the platform to provide help and support to key domestic violence stakeholders (victims, offenders and law enforcement). In particular, a chatbot solution will be used to answer the most important questions in real time and analysis tools will be developed to understand the evolution of violence.
EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR THE WORK WITH PERPETRATORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EV – WWP – Germany/Europe
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: The European Network for the Work with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence (WWP EN) is an umbrella organisation, which supports its members in offering or developing responsible, victim-focused perpetrator work and materials. Their members include perpetrator programmes, researchers, as well as victim support services.
Role description: WWP European Network will lead the overall action for domestic violence prevention through education, awareness raising and perpetrators programmes. In particular, WWP EN will promote and support the implementation of perpetrator programmes at the partner sites in Greece, Bulgaria and Italy, as a chance for positive change. Their outcomes will be measured using the IMPACT toolkit.
ASSOCIATION FOR THE PREVENTION AND HANDLING OF VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY – SPAVO – Cyprus
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: The Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (APHVF/SPAVO) provides services and direct help to people experiencing or exercising domestic violence with the aim to prevent it. APHVF develops awareness raising activities on the social phenomenon of domestic violence in order to inform citizens, but also advises competent authorities, notably regarding shortcomings of legislation and formal procedures, and proposes appropriate suggestions, with the aim to improve related policies.
Role description: In the ISEDA project, SPAVO will be involved in activities aiming to determine the level of development of domestic violence services in the countries participating in the project. The Association will also support the development of the training module for police authorities. SPAVO will further assist in the development of awareness raising campaigns and education programs, in addition to testing and evaluating a perpetrator programme.
TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR – TAU – Finland
Type of organisation: University
Short description: Tampere University is Finland’s second largest university and brings together research and education in technology, health and society. The University’s multidisciplinary expertise ranges from understanding the long processes of social change to topical questions on the structure of society, societal institutions and everyday life. Its research mission is to promote 1) fair, democratic and inclusive societies and 2) health and wellbeing for all at all ages.
Role description: TAU’s main role in the ISEDA project is leading the development of policy recommendations. Additionally, they are involved in the scoping of the pilot sites’ ecosystems and specification of ISEDA solutions, as well as the development and implementation of awareness raising campaigns and education programs on the project.
ASOCIACIA DEMETRA SDRUZHENIE – DEMA – Bulgaria
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: Association Demetra (DEMA) is a non-governmental organization, which provides prevention, protection and support to victims of gender-based violence since 1997.
Role description: In the ISEDA project, DEMA leads the preparation, implementation and evaluation of awareness raising campaigns and educational programs.
C.A.M CENTRO DI ASCOLTO UOMINI MALTRATTANTI ONLUS– CAM – Italy
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: CAM – Centro di Ascolto Uomini Maltrattanti Onlus, established in 2009 and based in Florence, is the first association in Italy offering counselling to men, who perpetrate violence in their intimate relationships. Its mission is the promotion, contrast, intervention and prevention on the issue of violence against women and minors through the implementation of change programmes aimed at men who use violence in their affective relationships.
Role description: CAM’s role in the ISEDA project is to implement and test a perpetrator programme, whose efficacy will then be evaluated with the IMPACT Toolkit. The association will also contribute to project activities on prevention, intervention and campaigns on raising awareness on domestic violence, targeting especially young people.
EVROPAIKO DIKTYO KATA TIS VIAS – EAVN – Greece
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: The European Anti-Violence Network (EAVN) is an NGO established in Greece in 2006. EAVN aims to prevent and combat violence against women and girls (intimate partner violence, domestic violence, sexual violence) through a) capacity building and training activities for professionals, b) education and awareness activities targeting youth and the general population, c) research, d) provision of holistic support and empowerment to women and survivors of violence, and e) advocacy.
Role description: Throughout the project, EAVN will provide its expertise on domestic violence and will closely collaborate with the Hellenic Police and other organizations for the activities, which will be implemented in Greece. EAVN will also support the evaluation of the pilot phase, as well as the development of a European Community of Practice.
HELLENIC POLICE – HPOL – Greece
Type of organisation: Police authority
Short description: HPOL, part of the Ministry of Citizen Protection, is the national Law Enforcement Agency handling cases of domestic violence in Greece through dedicated exclusive units and investigation services working closely with the District Attorney. Police Staff is provided with specialized educational training programs in legislation, communication, psychology and on vulnerable social groups in order to combat domestic violence.
Role description: Based on the know-how gained through handling domestic violence cases, HPOL will provide realistic operational requirements for the technology and innovative methods to be tested during the pilot period of the ISEDA project by selected front-line operational services and experienced police officers. The HPOL official channels of communication and dissemination will also be utilized to raise public awareness on the project training and communication activities.
KENTRO MELETON ASFALEIAS – KEMEA – Greece
Type of organisation: Research centre
Short description: The Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) is a scientific, consulting and research entity aiming at conducting theoretical and applied research and providing consultancy services on security policies at both national and international levels. KEMEA is based in Athens and is the Ministry of Citizen Protection’s ″think-tank″ on homeland security and anti-crime policies.
Role description: KEMEA will be involved in scoping the domestic violence ecosystems of the pilot sites and follower territories, as well supporting the development and testing of pilot site activities and the innovative training solutions for police officers in Greece.
GLAVNA DIREKTSIA NATSIONALNA POLITSIA – BPOL – Bulgaria
Type of organisation: Police authority
Short description: Bulgarian National Police General Directorate (BPOL) is a national specialized operative, security and control structure for prevention, investigation and detection of crimes (with the exception of those related to organized criminal activity), and for the protection of public order.
Role description: BPOL is one of the active participants in the pilot phase of the ISEDA project. The team is involved in activities related to the mapping of active services and interventions concerning acts of domestic violence in the country and the development and experimental testing of the ISEDA chatbot. BPOL is also implicated in the creation and trials of interactive training games and training of police officers, as well as conducting a campaign to raise public awareness.
EUROQUALITY SAS – EQY – France
Type of organisation: Private company
Short description: Euroquality is a company which specializes in setting-up and managing European innovative and collaborative projects. They support organizations especially in the domain of R&D, by providing expertise in several sectors, including security and societal issues, as well as assistance in administrative and financial tasks, communication, dissemination and exploitation activities.
Role description: In the framework of the ISEDA project, Euroquality leads the development of communication and dissemination activities, but also assists with the preparation of the awareness raising campaigns and education programs, and project management, administrative and financial tasks.
DEPARTAMENT D’INTERIOR – GENERALITAT DE CATALUNYA – INT– Spain
Type of organisation: Police authority
Short description: The Department of Interior of the Government of Catalonia participates in the ISEDA project, through its police force: Mossos d’Esquadra, and more specifically the Central Unit of Violence against women, minors, and other vulnerable victims. The office is responsible for the design of the police strategies to tackle the different types of violence against women, minors and other vulnerable people, aiming to prevent and detect them, but also to raise awareness on them and provide protection to victims.
Role description: INT’s role in the ISEDA project consists mainly in providing domestic violence-related crime data, operational definitions of domestic violence and contributing to the specifications of the ISEDA technological solutions. INT will also assist with the scoping of the pilot sites, as well as facilitate the implementation and testing of the police staff training for preventing and combating domestic violence, and the chatbot and data platform.
UNIVERSIDAD DE ALICANTE – UA – Spain
Type of organisation: University
Short description: The University of Alicante team (UA) is part of the Faculty of Health Science. It consists of professors, researchers and PhD students, with expertise in Public Health, Psychology of Health and Sociology. In regard to the ISEDA project, UA’s main lines of research are male violence against women, social inequalities, determinants of access to violence-related services and mixed-method approaches.
Role description: UA is leading the scoping off the pilot sites’ and follower territories’ ecosystems, as well as the implementation of the focus groups. They will also contribute to defining the specifications for the development of the serious game and the chatbot.
GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERSITY – GCU – UK
Type of organisation: University
Short description: Glasgow Caledonian University is a vibrant, values-led, multi-cultural University with a global outlook, dedicated to delivering social innovation. Led by Dr Nancy Lombard from the Department of Social Sciences, their research into domestic abuse provides an innovative contribution to the understandings of a global issue and has demonstrable impact, leading to policy change and investment in gender equality programmes.
Role description: GCU’s role involves scoping of services in Scotland, highlighting existing crime reporting technologies, training and prevention campaigns. The team will support the facilitation and delivery of focus groups with the police, third sector and victim-survivors, as well as setting up a European Community of Practice. Furthermore, they will evaluate existing best practices and create evaluation tools and education and awareness raising programmes, in addition to promoting the policy implications arising from the project and preparing research papers.
GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERSITY – GCU – UK
Type of organisation: University
Short description: Glasgow Caledonian University is a vibrant, values-led, multi-cultural University with a global outlook, dedicated to delivering social innovation. Led by Dr Nancy Lombard from the Department of Social Sciences, their research into domestic abuse provides an innovative contribution to the understandings of a global issue and has demonstrable impact, leading to policy change and investment in gender equality programmes.
Role description: GCU’s role involves scoping of services in Scotland, highlighting existing crime reporting technologies, training and prevention campaigns. The team will support the facilitation and delivery of focus groups with the police, third sector and victim-survivors, as well as setting up a European Community of Practice. Furthermore, they will evaluate existing best practices and create evaluation tools and education and awareness raising programmes, in addition to promoting the policy implications arising from the project and preparing research papers.
UNIVERSIDAD DE ALICANTE – UA – Spain
Type of organisation: University
Short description: The University of Alicante team (UA) is part of the Faculty of Health Science. It consists of professors, researchers and PhD students, with expertise in Public Health, Psychology of Health and Sociology. In regard to the ISEDA project, UA’s main lines of research are male violence against women, social inequalities, determinants of access to violence-related services and mixed-method approaches.
Role description: UA is leading the scoping off the pilot sites’ and follower territories’ ecosystems, as well as the implementation of the focus groups. They also contribute to defining the specifications for the development of the serious game and the chatbot.
DEPARTAMENT D'INTERIOR - GENERALITAT DE CATALUNYA – INT – Spain
Type of organisation: Police authority
Short description: The Department of Interior of the Government of Catalonia participates in the ISEDA project, through its police force: Mossos d’Esquadra, and more specifically the Central Unit of Violence against women, minors, and other vulnerable victims. The office is responsible for the design of the police strategies to tackle the different types of violence against women, minors and other vulnerable people, aiming to prevent and detect them, but also to raise awareness on them and provide protection to victims.
Role description: INT’s role in the ISEDA project consists mainly in providing domestic violence-related crime data, operational definitions of domestic violence and contributing to the specifications of the ISEDA technological solutions. INT will also assist with the scoping of the pilot sites, as well as facilitate the implementation and testing of the police staff training for preventing and combating domestic violence, and the chatbot and data platform.
EUROQUALITY SAS – EQY – France
Type of organisation: Private company
Short description: Euroquality is a company which specializes in setting-up and managing European innovative and collaborative projects. They support organizations especially in the domain of R&D, by providing expertise in several sectors, including security and societal issues, as well as assistance in administrative and financial tasks, communication, dissemination and exploitation activities.
Role description: In the framework of the ISEDA project, Euroquality leads the development of communication and dissemination activities, but also assists with the preparation of the awareness raising campaigns and education programs, and project management, administrative and financial tasks.
GLAVNA DIREKTSIA NATSIONALNA POLITSIA – BPOL – Bulgaria
Type of organisation: Police authority
Short description: Bulgarian National Police General Directorate (BPOL) is a national specialized operative, security and control structure for prevention, investigation and detection of crimes (with the exception of those related to organized criminal activity), and for the protection of public order.
Role description: BPOL is one of the active participants in the pilot phase of the ISEDA project. The team is involved in activities related to the mapping of active services and interventions concerning acts of domestic violence in the country and the development and experimental testing of the ISEDA chatbot. BPOL is also implicated in the creation and trials of interactive training games and training of police officers, as well as conducting a campaign to raise public awareness.
KENTRO MELETON ASFALEIAS – KEMEA – Greece
Type of organisation: Research centre
Short description: The Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) is a scientific, consulting and research entity aiming at conducting theoretical and applied research and providing consultancy services on security policies at both national and international levels. KEMEA is based in Athens and is the Ministry of Citizen Protection’s ″think-tank″ on homeland security and anti-crime policies.
Role description: KEMEA will be involved in scoping the domestic violence ecosystems of the pilot sites and follower territories, as well supporting the development and testing of pilot site activities and the innovative training solutions for police officers in Greece.
HELLENIC POLICE – HPOL – Greece
Type of organisation: Police authority
Short description: HPOL, part of the Ministry of Citizen Protection, is the national Law Enforcement Agency handling cases of domestic violence in Greece through dedicated exclusive units and investigation services working closely with the District Attorney. Police Staff is provided with specialized educational training programs in legislation, communication, psychology and on vulnerable social groups in order to combat domestic violence.
Role description: Based on the know-how gained through handling domestic violence cases, HPOL will provide realistic operational requirements for the technology and innovative methods to be tested during the pilot period of the ISEDA project by selected front-line operational services and experienced police officers. The HPOL official channels of communication and dissemination will also be utilized to raise public awareness on the project training and communication activities.
EVROPAIKO DIKTYO KATA TIS VIAS – EAVN – Greece
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: The European Anti-Violence Network (EAVN) is an NGO established in Greece in 2006. EAVN aims to prevent and combat violence against women and girls (intimate partner violence, domestic violence, sexual violence) through a) capacity building and training activities for professionals, b) education and awareness activities targeting youth and the general population, c) research, d) provision of holistic support and empowerment to women and survivors of violence, and e) advocacy.
Role description: Throughout the project, EAVN will provide its expertise on domestic violence and will closely collaborate with the Hellenic Police and other organizations for the activities, which will be implemented in Greece. EAVN will also support the evaluation of the pilot phase, as well as the development of a European Community of Practice.
C.A.M CENTRO DI ASCOLTO UOMINI MALTRATTANTI ONLUS– CAM – Italy
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: CAM – Centro di Ascolto Uomini Maltrattanti Onlus, established in 2009 and based in Florence, is the first association in Italy offering counselling to men, who perpetrate violence in their intimate relationships. Its mission is the promotion, contrast, intervention and prevention on the issue of violence against women and minors through the implementation of change programmes aimed at men who use violence in their affective relationships.
Role description: CAM’s role in the ISEDA project is to implement and test a perpetrator programme, whose efficacy will then be evaluated with the IMPACT Toolkit. The association will also contribute to project activities on prevention, intervention and campaigns on raising awareness on domestic violence, targeting especially young people.
ASOCIACIA DEMETRA SDRUZHENIE – DEMA – Bulgaria
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: Association Demetra (DEMA) is a non-governmental organization, which provides prevention, protection and support to victims of gender-based violence since 1997.
Role description: In the ISEDA project, DEMA leads the preparation, implementation and evaluation of awareness raising campaigns and educational programs.
TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR – TAU – Finland
Type of organisation: University
Short description: Tampere University is Finland’s second largest university and brings together research and education in technology, health and society. The University’s multidisciplinary expertise ranges from understanding the long processes of social change to topical questions on the structure of society, societal institutions and everyday life. Its research mission is to promote 1) fair, democratic and inclusive societies and 2) health and wellbeing for all at all ages.
Role description: TAU’s main role in the ISEDA project is leading the development of policy recommendations. Additionally, they are involved in the scoping of the pilot sites’ ecosystems and specification of ISEDA solutions, as well as the development and implementation of awareness raising campaigns and education programs on the project.
ASSOCIATION FOR THE PREVENTION AND HANDLING OF VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY – SPAVO – Cyprus
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: The Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (APHVF/SPAVO) provides services and direct help to people experiencing or exercising domestic violence with the aim to prevent it. APHVF develops awareness raising activities on the social phenomenon of domestic violence in order to inform citizens, but also advises competent authorities, notably regarding shortcomings of legislation and formal procedures, and proposes appropriate suggestions, with the aim to improve related policies.
Role description: In the ISEDA project, SPAVO will be involved in activities aiming to determine the level of development of domestic violence services in the countries participating in the project. The Association will also support the development of the training module for police authorities. SPAVO will further assist in the development of awareness raising campaigns and education programs, in addition to testing and evaluating a perpetrator programme.
EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR THE WORK WITH PERPETRATORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EV – WWP – Germany/Europe
Type of organisation: Civil society organization
Short description: The European Network for the Work with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence (WWP EN) is an umbrella organisation, which supports its members in offering or developing responsible, victim-focused perpetrator work and materials. Their members include perpetrator programmes, researchers, as well as victim support services.
Role description: WWP European Network will lead the overall action for domestic violence prevention through education, awareness raising and perpetrators programmes. In particular, WWP EN will promote and support the implementation of perpetrator programmes at the partner sites in Greece, Bulgaria and Italy, as a chance for positive change. Their outcomes will be measured using the IMPACT toolkit.
SOPRA STERIA GROUP – SSG – France
Type of organisation: Private company
Short description: Sopra Steria is a European Tech Leader, recognised for its consulting and digital services, and software development, which help their clients drive their digital transformations to obtain tangible and sustainable benefits. It provides end-to-end solutions to make large companies and organisations more competitive by combining in-depth knowledge of a wide range of business sectors and innovative technologies with a fully collaborative approach. Sopra Steria places people at the heart of everything it does and is committed to making the most of digital technology to build a positive future for its partners.
Role description: As part of the ISEDA project, Sopra Steria will develop and deliver the platform to provide help and support to key domestic violence stakeholders (victims, offenders and law enforcement). In particular, a chatbot solution will be used to answer the most important questions in real time and analysis tools will be developed to understand the evolution of violence.
TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE KÖLN – THK – Germany
Type of organisation: University
Short description: The Technische Hochschule Köln – University of Applied Sciences – is a University of Technology, Arts and Sciences. With its disciplinary and cultural diversity and openness, TH Köln’s activities are aimed at achieving cultural and technological breakthroughs of high societal relevance. TH Köln closely collaborates with local, national and international partners and was awarded the quality seal “HR Excellence in Research” by the European Commission, certifying that it meets international standards in the field of human resources development.
Role description: Two departments at TH Köln are involved in the project: the Cologne Game Lab (CGL) and the Institute for Social Law (ISR). The CGL team, led by Prof. Emmanuel Guardiola, is in charge of the project coordination and the development of a serious game, which will function as a training tool for police officers. The ISR team, led by Prof. Sefik Tagay, will offer their valuable expertise for consultation in legal aspects and the development of the simulations.