Coordinating Methodical Centre for gender based and domestic violence

Project facts

Project promoter:
Ministry of labour, social affaris and family of the Slovak Republic
Project Number:
SK09-0009
Target groups
Victims of intimate-partner violence
Status:
Completed
Initial project cost:
€2,278,080
Final project cost:
€1,781,431
From Norway Grants:
€ 1,514,216
The project is carried out in:
Slovakia

Description

Although the widespread problem of violence against women has become a topic of public policy for nearly a decade, Slovakia still lacks common standards for the service providers and standardized training process for helping professions to tackle violence against women and domestic violence. The goal of the Coordinating Methodical Centre will be to develop, implement and coordinate a comprehensive national policy for the area of prevention, intervention and elimination of violence against women. The project is expected to achieve quality assurance for the prevention and intervention system, and effective help to the victims of violence against women and domestic violence and others through the establishment of a national system for the co-ordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and measures to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women and domestic violence and others. The following groups are expected to benefit: victims of partners or domestic violence, helping professionals and disadvantaged groups.

Summary of project results

The major outcome of the project was the establishment of the Coordinating Methodical Centre for Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CMC), as an independent part of The Institute for Work and Family Research. By 31 Dec 2016 the CMC employed a total of 62 NGO experts: 5 permanent workers, 50 external contractors and 7 professional consultants that operate the non-stop National Helpline for Women Experiencing Violence. Data from key indicators suggest that during the project, the level of gender-based violence in Slovakia has decreased. The number of reported cases of violence against women increased by 80%, the percentage of women who know how to get help increased from 20% to 54% and the number of women killed by their partner decreased from 8-10 to 5-6 per year (data: end of 2016). The Centre fulfils its tasks across various institutions and relevant ministries. The aim of the CMC is to create, implement and coordinate a comprehensive national policy for the prevention and elimination of gender-based and domestic violence. The CMC provides professional coordination of activities through methodical guidelines in primary prevention as well as other relevant areas for the elimination of violence against women and children. The CMC facilitates multi-institutional cooperation between assistance professionals, and provide an educational system for these professionals. Cooperation of CMC with these crucial actors begins with systematic education, based on quality standards as many victims of GBV and DV are currently exposed to secondary victimization due to lack of information and abilities of the professionals who are aiding them. CMC’s fundamental document in this regard Proposal of quality standards of advanced training regarding gender-based violence, which was the basis of the Training manual for the aiding professions as well as the guidebook Case studies of violence against women and their children, both of which are used for training of potential trainers among the victim aid professions and in primary prevention.

Summary of bilateral results

Cooperation on one qualitative research, two representative quantitative research , training of 120 police officers were trained contributed largely to the project implementation. The establshed cooperation remained sustainable and continued in the form of another bilateral project titled: Passing on of experience in research and protecting the interests of victims in Norway which also provided for improved knowledge and understanding as well as provided for shared results. Cooperation with the Norwegian partner was key for the CMC, especially regarding the preparation and execution of three main research projects where we drew on consultations with the Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS). We cooperated the closest on a qualitative analysis, unique for Slovakia, on Mother-child relationship in the context of partnership violence against women. The research outcome – that the mother-child relationship is in fact affected by DV – became a new key factor in CMC’s work in terms of the need for a specific approach towards children of women who are experiencing violence, and the need for a special focus on the mother-child relationship. CMC also consulted NKVTS regarding theoretical and methodological background of two representative quantitative research projects among female population ages 18-70: Prevalence and character of sexual violence against women (GBV) and Prevalence and character of domestic violence and partnership violence (DV).