On Monday, November 9, we held a one-day training course for volunteering on the free hotline for victims of domestic violence in the premises of the Great Hall of the City of Županja. The training was held for 10 participants interested in volunteering on the free SOS hotline that will soon be established in Županja as part of the project Advice and Conversation Against Violence and Social Exclusion.
The training began with a presentation by Petra Kontić, head of the Gender Equality program at the BaBe association Be Active. Be Emancipated., who presented the activities and goals of the project and explained the concept of gender equality from a sociological and human rights perspective. Sociologist Suzana Kunac followed up with a presentation on the prevention and suppression of gender-based violence through the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women. Ines Bojić, a long-time external associate of the BaBe association with experience representing victims of domestic violence before the European Court of Human Rights, gave a lecture on providing legal information through the SOS line, presenting the challenges that volunteers face and the mechanisms that enable the provision of adequate assistance during the first contact with a victim of domestic violence. Active participation of the training participants was ensured through moderated discussion and practical exercises.
The two-year project "Advice and Conversation Against Violence and Social Exclusion" is co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund, and is aimed at increasing the quality and availability of free legal counseling and psychosocial support services for victims of domestic violence and raising public awareness about the problem of domestic violence.
