Jučer, 5. ožujka, u sklopu projekta HELPLINE, B.a.B.e. i Udruga za podršku žrtvama i svjedocima održale su edukaciju za potencijalne volontere/ke koji/e su zainteresirani/e za volontiranje na SOS telefonu udruge B.a.B.e. ili u Nacionalnom pozivnom centru za žrtve kaznenih djela i prekršaja.

Edukacija se održala u prostorijama Kuće ljudskih prava, na adresi Selska cesta 112c s početkom u 10 sati, trajala je 4 sata, a na istoj se okupilo 10 potencijalnih volonterka/ki.

Maja Štahan, koordinatorica Nacionalnog pozivnog centra, pričala je o radu Nacionalnog pozivnog centra te upoznala potencijalne volontere/ke s procedurom uključivanja u rad centra. Bruna Nedoklan, psihologinja u udruzi B.a.B.e., održala je predavanje o načinima komunikacije sa žrtvama nasilja kroz primjere te pružila korisne smjernice koje svaki/a volonter/ka treba znati kad priča s korisnicima/ama linija za pravnu ili psihološku pomoć.

Zahvaljujemo se potencijalnim volonterima/kama što su se odazvali pozivu na ovo predavanje te se veselimo budućoj suradnji.

This week we held three training sessions for Bulgarian police officers, psychologists, social workers, teachers, and civil society representatives who work with or can be the first point of contact for women victims of violence in Sofia and Plovdiv.

The training was organized as an activity within the project VIVIEN - Educational Network for Victims of Violence: Educational project to improve the support system for women victims of violence (810444). The training was conducted by the partner organizations Giolli Cooperativa (Italy) and BaBe, and the training was organized by the Bulgarian partners: the Foundation "Eyes on Four Paws" and the National College "St. Cyril and Methodius 1924".

Through a video projection, other partners from Italy and Finland also joined the training.

The training, which consisted of a theoretical part, but also interactive practical work, was primarily focused on combating gender-based violence and good practices on how to help women victims of violence.

Baby and Victim and Witness Support Association organiziraju edukaciju za potencijalne volontere/ke koji/e su zainteresirani/e za volontiranje na SOS telefonu udruge B.a.B.e. ili u Nacionalnom pozivnom centru za žrtve kaznenih djela i prekršaja.

Edukacija će se održati 4. ožujka 2020. u prostorijama Kuće ljudskih prava, na adresi Selska cesta 112c starting u 10 sati, a održat će je Maja Štahan, koordinatorica Nacionalnog pozivnog centra i Bruna Nedoklan, psihologinja u udruzi B.a.B.e. Predviđeno trajanje edukacije je 4 sata.

Ovim putem pozivam sve zainteresirane da se prijave na mail petra.kontic@babe.hr do 29. veljače.

Dovoljno je poslati svoje ime i prezime uz napomenu da se prijavljujete na edukaciju za volontere/ke.
Sudjelovanje na edukaciji otvoreno je za sve te ne obvezuje na volontiranje nakon edukacije.
Čekamo vaše prijave!

Today, February 12, 2020, as part of the European project 'VIVIEN - VIctim VIolence Educational Network, An educational project to improve the ability to assist women victims of violence', which has as its primary focus the prevention and suppression of violence against women through the work and education of experts from the system - police, justice, medicine, education and social services, the BaBe association held a seminar for managers. The seminar presented the progress of the project so far and the cross-sectoral trainings held, and presented the results of research by the University of Parma. The seminar was attended by 15 managers in sectors dealing with the prevention and suppression of violence against women.

The aim of the seminar was to improve common procedures for dealing with cases of violence against women. After the presentation by the representative of the BaBe association, a discussion followed on the challenges that individual departments face when working with victims of domestic and gender-based violence and the need for support between departments in such cases. Among the specific needs of individual sectors, the necessity of specialized education and clear protocols was recognized. The possibilities of violence prevention through sensitization and development of competencies of persons in the education system and family doctors were emphasized. The participants advised each other on key upcoming steps towards improving support for victims and prevention of gender-based violence, such as research on violence in adolescent relationships (conducted in cooperation with UNICEF) and the Action Plan for the Prevention of Violence Against and Among Children and Youth, which would be implemented in schools.

An upcoming project of the Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy was also announced, which will continue to strengthen inter-sectoral cooperation, as well as the professional capacities of all relevant stakeholders in the field of combating violence against women. The will was expressed for further sensitization of experts and an intersectional approach, with the aim of improving social services for specific vulnerable groups, such as older women and women with disabilities. We are pleased that new initiatives within individual departments will in many ways build on the objectives of the project we are currently implementing and will contribute to consolidating the acquired knowledge and strengthening the system as a whole.

BaBe Association organized a three-day intersectoral training on the topic of preventing and combating violence against women in Vinkovci, February 5th, 6th and 7th.

It is the third multi-day multi-sector training for experts from the police, judiciary, health, education and social services and representatives of civil society organizations dealing with the mentioned topic.

The trainings were held within the framework of the project 'VIVIEN - Victim VIolence Educational Network, An educational project to improve the ability to assist women victims of violence'(ref. cod. number 810444), which is financed from the Rights, Equality and Citizenship program of the European Union.

After Basic training (September 2019) and Middle training (November 2019), last week, Advanced multi-sector training, is a continuation of project activities started last year. More precisely, on Wednesday, February 5th, the first part of the training was actually a continuation of the Intermediate Training from November 2019, while the second part of that day and the entire Thursday and Friday as a whole constituted the Advanced Multisectoral Training.

The intermediate multi-sectoral training covered the topics 'Elderly women victims of violence' and 'Women with disabilities victims of violence'.

The advanced multi-sector training on Wednesday began with the presentation of the results of the research conducted within the framework of the 'VIVIEN' project. The research sought to answer the following questions:
- To what extent are professionals in Croatia, Italy, Finland and Bulgaria sensitized to working with women victims of violence;
- Does the level of additional education of professionals correspond to the empathy they show in working with women victims of violence?
- What are the opinions and attitudes of experts from the system regarding gender-based violence?
After the theoretical part, there was an examination of the present susceptibility to stereotypes and prejudices, measuring empathy and assertive approach towards women victims of violence.

On Thursday, the participants were introduced to the goals and process of creating a safety plan for women victims of violence. Through the psychological workshop, they had the opportunity to experience different perspectives when it comes to reporting violence. After that, the afternoon session was based on deepening interdepartmental cooperation and building own capacities for suppression and prevention of violence against women through cooperation.

On the third day of the training, participants took part in an interactive workshop 'Protocol on Action in Cases of Domestic Violence: Implementation by Individual Institutions - Roles and Tasks', while the afternoon session dealt with the topics: 'Work and role of shelters for victims of domestic violence, problems faced by women after leaving an abusive situation' and 'Reducing secondary victimization of victims of domestic violence through intersectoral cooperation'.

Around 25 people attended the trainings each day, most of whom had also attended the previous two multi-day trainings.

The Vukovar-Srijem County has ceded the premises of the Great County Hall in Vinkovci to the BaBe Association for the purpose of holding educational events.

BaBe Association Be active. Be emancipated. with this announcement, he is reacting to the first-instance verdict of the Court in Slavonski Brod, by which the Požega-Slavonia County Prefect Alojz Tomasevic sentenced to 10 months of suspended prison sentence with a two-year probation period for the crime of domestic violence. We believe that this sentence is not in line with the gravity of the crime committed and that it reflects the attitude of Croatian society towards domestic violence.

Just a week after we published a statement on the verdict in which the court acquitted a police officer despite being found guilty of sexual harassment of a colleague, we are once again forced to respond to injustice in court proceedings when it comes to violence against women.

Considering the incriminated period and the fact that these were serious forms of domestic violence that resulted in physical injury to the victim, the extremely mild sentence is surprising, considering that the Criminal Code prescribes a prison sentence of one to three years for each of the criminal offenses for which the perpetrator was convicted in this non-final verdict, specifically the criminal offense of domestic violence and the criminal offense of bodily injury committed against a close person.

The aforementioned verdict thus calls into question the effectiveness of criminal proceedings as a whole, which is not limited to the effective investigation and prosecution of perpetrators by state bodies, but also depends on the final outcome of the proceedings, which in this specific case, given the extremely lenient sentence, did not fulfill its purpose.

As a result of the above, we can conclude that there are no specific sanctions for the perpetrator himself, which does not achieve the purpose of punishment in terms of special and general prevention, so the case in question, if the verdict becomes final, will represent just another in a series of examples that send an extremely unfavorable message to victims of domestic violence that the legal system will not provide them with adequate protection, and thus discourages victims from reporting violence.

In addition to deterring victims from reporting violence, such a verdict also discourages victims from seeking help and ultimately from leaving the cycle of violence. It is precisely because of such verdicts that victims do not trust institutions, which is why a large percentage of gender-based violence remains unreported, in the so-called gray zone.

Violence against women is the most widespread systematic violation of human rights. Violence against women is not a private matter, violence is not a family value. Violence is not an isolated anomaly. Moreover, it is frequent, daily, and occurs all around us, and in order for us as a society to adequately respond to it, it is necessary for all sectors to take responsibility for their actions. Violence against women is a complex, deep-rooted social problem whose solution insists on the synergy of the entire society. It is necessary for all of us to adopt zero tolerance towards all forms of violence, which would mean sanctioning all forms of violence, a broad system of support for victims to overcome the trauma they have experienced, and restoring trust in the work of institutions.

Yesterday, January 21, 2020, we held a meeting with members of a women's organization from the Tokushima region of Japan. 

This is a group of 17 women from Japan, over 60 years old, who are former teachers/professors and are working to promote the status of women in society and try to revitalize local communities through international exchange and sharing of experiences.

The topics of the meeting were related to the protection of women, emancipation and the general position of women in society, their employment, etc. The BaBe association presented its work in the field of gender equality and the protection and prevention of domestic violence and violence against women through the association's programs and projects.

Within the project "FON – Filmom o nasilju", kojeg je implementirala Udruga B.a.B.e. u suradnji s Osnovnom školom Ive Andrića iz Zagreba nastala su tri kratka videa.

Nakon serije radionica, učenice OŠ Ive Andrića same su napisale scenarij, snimile i montirale tri kratka igrana videa na temu vršnjačkog nasilja.

Kao produkt projekta, koji je financiran sredstvima Grada Zagreba, nastalisu filmovi:

'Loptom u glavu'

Loptom u glavu from Baby on Vimeo.

'Očima žrtve'

Očima žrtve from Baby on Vimeo.

'Do sutra'

Do sutra from Baby on Vimeo.

Cilj ovog projekta bio je podići svijest djece i mladih o problemu vršnjačkog nasilja te ih kroz proces stvaranja kratkog filma potaknuti na kritički pristup ovoj temi.

Udruga B.a.B.e. ovim priopćenjem reagira na presudu kojom je sud oslobodio policijskog službenika jer se spolno uznemiravanje kolegice, iako utvrđeno, dogodilo "samo jednom".  Policijska službenica koja ga je tužila snosi troškove postupka koji premašuju 10000 kuna, dok počinitelj ne snosi nikakve posljedice. Počinitelju (a i društvu u cjelini) time je poslana jasna poruka da je ponašanje karakterizirano zloupotrebom položaja moći i narušavanjem autonomije i sigurnosti druge osobe prihvatljivo, ukoliko nije doseglo nejasnu granicu učestalosti i intenziteta koja nema nikakve veze s iskustvom same žrtve. O tome svjedoči i drugi slučaj koji je nedavno punio medijski prostor, onaj srednjoškolskog profesora koji također nije sankcioniran za spolno uznemiravanje 17-godišnje učenice, uz objašnjenje da neželjeni dodiri, zagrljaji i udarac po stražnjici nisu bili izrazito seksualnog karaktera.

Koliko je zakonskih izmjena potrebno napraviti prije nego li će seksualno nasilje biti prepoznato i sankcionirano? Koliko žrtava takvo nasilje mora iskusiti da im institucije i okolina počnu vjerovati i pružati im prijekopotrebnu podršku? Nažalost, već smo zakasnili – seksualno nasilje jedno je od najmanje prijavljivanih kaznenih djela koje doživljava 1 od 5 žena.

U 2019. su, kao jedna od posljedica građanskog pritiska i ratifikacije Konvencije Vijeća Europe o sprječavanju i borbi protiv nasilja nad ženama i nasilja u obitelji, revidirani pravni okviri zaštite žena od obiteljskog i seksualnog nasilja, uslijed čega su donesene izmjene Kaznenog zakona i Zakona o zaštiti od nasilja u obitelji. Ovim izmjenama izbrisano je kazneno djelo spolnog odnosa bez pristanka (koje se sad kvalificira kao silovanje), a propisane kazne za silovanje su se postrožile.  Time je svakako napravljen značajan korak ka većoj zaštiti žrtve, no još uvijek ostaje problem nedovoljne senzibiliziranosti stručnjaka/inja u pravnom sustavu (koja često vodi u sekundarnu viktimizaciju žrtve tijekom postupka) te nedostatka standardiziranih kriterija za pravovremene i adekvatne presude.

Ovakvi slučajevi poruka su brojnim žrtvama, koje trajno gube vjeru u mogućnost ostvarenja pravde, kao i u ulogu sustava da im osigura zaštitu i temeljna ljudska prava. Tim više naglašavamo hitnost potrebe za korjenitim promjenama na svim razinama odgovornosti, a upravo je povrat povjerenja žrtve u sustav ono što očekujemo od 2020. godine.