In Serbia, during 2016, 31 women lost their lives as the result of family violence. Victims are wives, ex-wives, mothers, grandmothers, daughters and sisters. In addition, three children also died in family violence. Figures for 2017 are also grim, with 7 women who died in domestic violence cases.
In order to save lives of women in Serbia, Safe House in Belgrade continued sheltering women and children, victims of violence in Serbia conducting at the same time activities aimedat improvements ininstitutional protection and creating an environment with zero tolerance for family violence.
Just in 2016 we have sheltered 231 women and children victims. Support is available in the Safe House but also in the process of re-start of independent life as well as afterwards, in different situation that can be threatening for victims of violence.
Lawyers continue providing free legal service to victims of domestic violence and by now 424 victims received free legal aid. Money for this activityis still limited but we are glad that with support from different individual donors we can continue with this very important support.
Through our lobbying activities, we have managed to bring significant decision makers, on ministerial level to visit Safe House, some legal documents and laws are being changed and our organization is often present in the media- advocating against family violence.
One of the Safe House users, R.Z., victim of violence and mother of two shared her experience: “When my husband was violent nothing was sacred to him. He was beating me but he also wanted to hurt the children. He was not beating them but at one point he broke aquarium and let all the fishes that they loved, die in front of them. I came to the Safe House with police that drove me and my children. Safe House, saved my life, but also they are giving me support to overcome the trauma, shame, and strength to find way out. I am still afraid but I am stronger every day in the Safe House, I feel I am a different women“.
Safe House needs continuous support in resources for maintenance, as we have numerous women and children, equipment and furniture get worn down and need replacement or repair.
Thank you for contributing to our continuous efforts to help victims of domestic violence in Serbia and please spread the word about us.
Links:
Where are we now
In Serbia, since the beginning of 2016, 25 women lost their lives as result of family violence. Women are victims as wives, ex-wives, mothers, grandmothers, daughters.
In order to save lives of women in Serbia, Safe House in Belgrade continued sheltering women and children victims of violence in Serbia. Since the beginning of 2016 more than 90 women and more than 100 children used services provided within Safe Houses. Lawyers continue providing a free legal service to victims of domestic violence in limited extent considering that amount of money is still limited.
Through our lobbing activities we have managed to find suitable employment for another 5 women victim of violence that have been in our Safe house and according to them this made significant difference and enable them to continue life without violence, considering that economic reasons are proven to play important role when it comes to why women are staying with, or going back to perpetrator.
In Safe House we continue providing vocational, social and psychological support to women and children victims of domestic violence. We have managed to organize workshops specifically for children in Safe Houses. Additionally, we have managed to organize parenting school in order to provide mothers with skills to improve parenting, to use adequate methods and understand children better, considering that children are victims of violence when they are directly victims but also when they are observers. Since January 2016 professionals conducted 72 workshops with children in Safe houses and we have started parenting school where 33 women took part in this activity.
Dejana O., victim of violence and mother of two said “When I have started parenting school I did not find it very important, but on the classes I have found out why my kids are acting and reacting in certain way. I realized that they victims as well and I now I know how I can help them in future. It was very important for me“
In the Safe House we continue providing support but we have troubles finding resources for maintenance, and considering that we have numerous women and children equipment and furniture are worn down and need replacement or repair.
Thank you for contributing to our continuous efforts to help victims of domestic violence in Serbia and please spread the word about us.
Steps forward
Safe Houses in Belgrade continue saving lives of women in Serbia, and we are currently sheltering 25 women and 21 children. During 2015, 247 women and children victims of family violence found their shelter in Safe Houses in Belgrade. In addition to this, 3530 call in relation to family violence were realized through work of our organization in 2015.
Lawyers continue providing a free legal service to victims of domestic violence in limited extent considering that amount of money is still limited.
Through our lobbing activities we have managed to find suitable employment for 10 women victims of violence that have been in our Safe house during this period and according to them this made significant difference and enable them to break circle of violence and „ they feel themselves again“.
One woman Ana M. that staid at the Safe House at the occasion International Women Day, March 8th “I did not know what to expect when I came to Safe House, I just knew that I needed to do something. I have received much more than expected, support and understanding from everyone. After these three months, with all ups and downs, I cannot imagine to go back to my previous life.”
In Safe House we continue providing vocational, social and psychological support to women and children victims of domestic violence. We have managed to organize workshops specifically for children in Safe Houses. Since January 2016 professionals conducted 32 workshops with children in Safe houses and we have started parenting school.
Thank you for contributing to our continuous efforts to help victims of domestic violence in Serbia and please spread the word about us.
Links:
How I took my life back
Safe Houses in Belgrade continue saving lives of women in Serbia, and we are currently sheltering 30 women and 23 children, victims of domestic violence. Since September 1st until November 30th, we have sheltered 31 new women and 34, but we also continue sheltering women and children that came to the Safe houses prior to September 1st considering their need to stay longer in our premises. Since the beginning of the year our organization provided shelter to 120 women and 124 children.
On the 25th of November, International Day against Family Violence, one of the residents of the Safe House in Belgrade Ivana D. said “I would like to send a message to all women who were victims of domestic violence to gain strength and get away from the abuser! It is difficult, but not impossible, and things can change for better and Safe House is important positive experience for me and my children. We were desperate, hopeless, moneyless and afraid when we got there. In the first place, I only thought about saving lives of my children and my own but, actually, we have achieved much more. Free legal service provided by experienced lawyers mean a world to me, as I wouldn’t have been able to neither ask the right service, nor to pay for it. Moreover, psychological assistance and various activities organized in the safe house gave me and my children the sense that we took our lives back into our hands. We are stronger now than ever before. All of these made a difference. “
Lawyers continue providing free legal service to victims of domestic violence in limited scope considering that amount of money is still insufficient for all.
In the Safe House we continue providing vocational, social and psychological support to women and children victims of domestic violence. We have managed to organize workshops specifically for children in Safe Houses. Since October 1st professionals conducted 15 workshops with children in Safe houses. Art crafts made by children were exhibited on an exhibition organized to mark November 25th. Thank you for contributing to our continous efforts to help victims of domestic violence in Serbia and please, spread the word about us.
Links:
Project Reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you will get an e-mail when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports via e-mail without donating.
We'll only email you new reports and updates about this project.
