Spettacolo
Za Teb Launches First App in Eastern Europe to Combat Domestic Violence; PremFina Sponsors
women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria , top the end of the scale, with nearly one in two women experiencing such violence, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. Further, as many as 38% of murders of women worldwide are committed by a male intimate partner. Equally troubling is the fact that fewer than 40 percent of women seek help of any sort, with less than 10 percent seeking police assistance, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs research.
"A plane on the ground is of little use," said Ivelina Choeva, CEO of Za Teb. "To be effective, it must take flight. Nearly 150 countries worldwide have laws against domestic violence but without enforcement, they are ineffective. Our app connects people at the grassroots level to educate and empower people in order to fight this social disease."
Choeva drew on her experience with social media as an international model and her graduate degree in marketing to create the Za Teb app, which means "For You" in Bulgarian. It is downloadable at www.zateb.org.
"Something had to be done. The statistics about severe domestic abuse in Bulgaria were simply shocking. Support groups exist for victims, but they are disparate and disconnected. Our app is both a voice for victims and a platform to connect them with social workers, NGOs (non-government organisation) and the police," said Choeva. "While there are many organisations to reach out to, the voice of victims has been muted."
She credits the support of London -based PremFina (www.premfina.com) to build and launch the app. "As an insurance premium finance company, you would assume this is of no interest for them. But they care about social issues and wanted to help".
PremFina's interest in Za Teb was premised on its charter to foster Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its growing presence in
Bulgaria , where it set up an office a year ago and currently employs nearly 20 staff.
"We're an antidote to the status quo," said Nij Saha, the company's Chief Technology Officer. "Our company promotes financial inclusion by making insurance more affordable. Za Teb's mission of empowering women fit our ethos of emancipation, so we became ready supporters."
Martin Raikov
Za Teb PR
tvalarma@abv.bg
+359-879-850-557
Megan Punter
Marketing Associate
megan.punter@premfina.com
+44-203-500-3462