Description
In the Czech Republic, a free of charge helpline for victims of abuse including domestic violence still does not exist. The project promoter has been conducting such helplines since 2001, but they are chargeable and their accessibility is limited by the technical equipment. This project’s goal is to establish a unique specialized free of charge first aid line focused on helping victims of abuse. The line offers immediate professional and discreet nonstop accessible help to all subjects of domestic violence and women and men afflicted with any kind of violence. The gratuitousness of the line will eliminate financial discrimination, enable emergency calls and thus helping to solve the situation of the caller. The renovation of the switchboard and the free of charge calling will enable a greater amount of people to receive help in time - people economically dependent on the abuser, people living in a difficult social situation and the homeless. The new service of the free helpline will be communicated through a campaign, at a press conference and introduced at regional seminars. A user manual for those operating the phone line will be provided.
Summary of project results
We provided instant individual, discreet, professional and non-stop assistance to individuals at risk of and affected by domestic violence through a free phone line. The capacity of the new switchboard and free-of-charge calls enable many more people to receive timely help; moreover, persons fully economically dependent on a violent person, people in a difficult social situation and homeless people can reach help over the phone. The fact that the calls are free does not limit the length of the consultation in serious cases. The achieved change is described in the final study of the project and is compared to the data on paid calls. There was a media campaign targeted at the free expert phone line and its target groups. For helping professionals (law enforcement bodies, social workers, doctors, probation and mediation services, non-governmental organisations, etc.), we created instruction cards and organised training seminars (one in each region of the Czech Republic). The aim was also to positively influence the attitudes of the professional public towards those affected by domestic violence, as they are often the first ones to come in contact with these victims.
Summary of bilateral results