ENSURING BETTER PROTECTION FOR WOMEN FROM THEIR FIRST CALL FOR HELP UNTIL THEY REBUILD THEIR LIVE Prepared by Špela Veselič, Association SOS Help-line for Women and Children – Victims of Violence, Ljubljana, Slovenia

WHERE IT ALL STARTS... Ensure equality of women with men in all fields of society; = tackling structural violence; structural nature of all types of VAW has to be emphasized: VAW importantly influences women’s access to employment, education, participation in public and political life, etc.;

WHERE IT ALL STARTS... strengthening social and economic rights: “…creation of conditions where the victims are no longer economically dependent on the perpetrator of violence” (EU Guidelines on VAW 2008); rights to be granted to all women, esp. victims of VAW, e.g.: right to affordable housing, free/affordable childcare, education & training, adequate financial assistance, health care, etc.; all types of VAW have to be treated equally; avoid gender neutral and gender blind approaches.

QUALITY OF SERVICES Quality standards for women’s services: individualized approach and treatment of victims; empowering; gender-specific; specialized;

QUALITY OF SERVICES free middle- and long-term support, therapy & outreach services; special attention / improving support to specific groups of women survivors of violence (migrant, minority, refugee, handicapped, older, rural, prostitutes, etc.); protection and support for children affected directly or indirectly by violence (e.g. visitation & custody rights);

QUALITY OF SERVICES avoid (prohibit) mediation and conciliation in all cases of VAW; avoid (prohibit) joint custody in cases of domestic violence against women; minimum quantity, e.g. (WAVE suggestion): national helpline, 1 rape crisis centre / women, 1 women’s support centre / women; independent, safe in funding.

QUALITY OF SERVICES Standards for general services, e.g.: protocols & guidelines on VAW for all agencies; continuous training for professionals; multi-agency cooperation; multi-lingual services. E.g.: case of Slovenia.

EFFECTIVE PROTECTION Effective protection from violence – provision of different protective measures by member states: protection orders (POs) that can be applied by police; POs within criminal justice procedure & civil law; use of electronic devices to monitor compliance with POs.

EFFECTIVE PROTECTION Case of Slovenia – 3 different POs/ban on approach possible: the police PO issued according to the Law on Police; PO issued by the court according to the Family Violence Prevention Act; PO issued by the court according to the Law on Legal Procedure.

EFFECTIVE PROTECTION Improving law enforcement response: basic and ongoing training of police; possibilities to provide protection & guarantee victims’ safety.

EFFECTIVE PROSECUTION Measures to improve prosecution & end impunity of VAW: special units in prosecutor offices & special courts; minimum standards, e.g.: ex-officio prosecution of VAW acts; free legal aid to victims & right to financial compensation; measures to avoid secondary victimization.

AWARENESS RAISING Awareness raising and campaigns: develop primary prevention measures; establish a European Year on the Eradiation of all forms of VAW.

PERPETRATORS OF VIOLENCE Perpetrator programs / social skills trainings with feminist approach: establish programs as addition to sanctions; priority: victims safety & in co-operation with women’s services; therapy has to be optional and paid by the perpetrator – not included to state strategies to combat VAW.

LEGISLATION ON VAW Comprehensive legislation addressing all forms of VAW in all relevant areas of law (marriage & divorce law, child custody law, immigration-, social security law, etc.) = = goal of the EU strategy to combat VAW.

ASSOCIATION SOS HELP-LINE FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN – VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE Independent, humanitarian women’s organization that works in the field of social security from 1989; main programs: toll free SOS Help-line (from 1989); shelter for women and their children I.– first NGO shelter in Slovenia (from 1997); shelter for women and their children II.– first shelter in Slovenia that offers safe place for handicapped women (from 2009); self-help group; prevention activities (workshops, lectures, issuing publications, awareness raising campaigns, etc.); lobbying.

HOW IT WORKS IN THE ASSOCIATION SOS HELP-LINE SOS Help-line – informational basis / initial psychosocial help offered / empowering; possibly shelter / self help groups / other help; 15 shelters in Slovenia in September 2010, 3 crisis centers for women and their children who survived violence, the capacity of shelters: around 63 rooms with around 205 beds, the capacity of crisis centers: 54 beds, in 2009 shelters were occupied in total of 84,06 %.

HOW IT WORKS IN THE ASSOCIATION SOS HELP-LINE Possibly report to the center for social care (Law for the Prevention of Family Violence), police, public prosecutor; at the shelter: individualized help, counselling, empowerment, advocacy, awareness raising, workshops, etc.; work with institutions on single cases.