Donor: Office for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities
Project name: Counseling center for the prevention and suppression of all forms of violent behavior in the family
Project duration: 01.07. 2013 -31.12.2013.
Project description:
It is an undeniable fact that violence is present in Croatian families, as is the lack of information among citizens about fundamental human rights (the right to life, the right to bodily integrity and dignity). Citizens are generally completely ignorant of the procedures for legal resolution of problems and do not recognize the legal basis and legal basis for resolving important life issues, such as, for example: regulating property relations between spouses or the effects of marriage and cohabitation. An additional problem is the lack of preventive programs against domestic violence, since the most common form of protection is reactive because it occurs only when violence occurs. This is confirmed by statistical data from institutions and internal records that we have been keeping for nineteen years. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior for 2012, 17,976 cases of domestic violence were registered. In relation to the gender, age and recidivism of perpetrators of domestic violence offenses committed during 2012, 14,444 of the total number of perpetrators were male. Following the above data, and starting from the fact that violence is a form of discrimination regardless of gender and taking into account the fact that women are most often victims of domestic violence - the target groups defined by the project design are highly relevant.
The goal of this project is to establish a healthy society in which each person fulfills their emotional and creative potential and establishes healthy and successful relationships within the family and the wider community with the wholehearted help of institutions and organizations that act synergistically for the common good.
Specific objectives: to ensure the continuous work of a legal team that will provide legal protection to victims of violence by providing free legal aid (in various ways) and legal representation; to ensure the continuous work of a psychological team that will provide psychosocial support to victims and perpetrators of violence by providing free psychological counseling and therapeutic meetings; to improve the level of existing services provided by social welfare institutions in the field of protection from domestic violence, especially with regard to the prevention of violence, its recognition and effective suppression; to establish continuous cooperation with existing institutions of the system; to establish a model of a team approach to solving problems in the family, especially all forms of violent behavior; to prevent future violence by raising awareness and sensitization of the wider community on issues of recognition, protection and appropriate response in cases of domestic violence (campaigns, media activities, organizing forums and round tables, printing brochures, etc.).
