Macedonia to combat violence against women under EU, UN initiative

SKOPJE, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia has become part of a European Union (EU) and United Nations initiative aimed at combating violence against women, Macedonian News Agency(MIA) reported Monday citing official sources.

The program initiated by the EU and UN will last for three years and has a total value of 5 million euros (5.7 million U.S. dollars), Elena Grozdanova from the Macedonian Labor and Social Policy Ministry told the news agency from Brussels.

The program will include activities to change opinions and steps to raise awareness on the need to protect women and girls from violence, according to local media reports.

She added that Macedonian government was preparing a law against gender-based violence.