Within the conference held on December 6, 2023, at the Prague Hotel in Belgrade on the topic of domestic violence, a model for protecting victims of domestic violence in the Czeck Republic was presented, focusing on the role of Czech non-governmental organizations in the system of protection from domestic violence.
Conference participants were acquainted with the results of previous activities carried out within the project "Promoting tools to prevent and combat domestic violence in Serbia" implemented by Poradna pro občanství/Občanská a lidská práva with the support of Praxis as a local partner. This included a special reference to a two-day workshop and a study visits to the Czech Republic, which enabled valuable exchange of experiences and knowledge among relevant actors in the system of preventing domestic violence in Serbia and the Czech Republic.
During the conference, the role of Czech non-governmental organizations in providing assistance to victims of domestic violence was presented, covering aspects such as the legal framework, collaboration with the police, service provision, as well as funding models. Additionally, attendees were briefed on specific psychological aspects of domestic violence.
It was particularly highlighted that thanks to the involvement of non-governmental organizations in the social services system, the Czech Republic managed to save resources. The funding system proved more favourable compared to complete state funding. Consequently, higher service quality was achieved with less state funding. With 120,000 employees in the social services system, the Czech Republic has set a standard that is yet to be reached in many countries.
"The most significant difference between the Czech Republic and Serbia regarding practices related to providing comprehensive support to victims of domestic violence lies in the simple fact that in the Czech Republic, we have established a sustainable system of 17 specialized intervention centres nationwide, where social workers, psychologists, and legal experts exclusively work on this issue, thereby enhancing the commitment to providing high-quality and long-term care for victims of family violence," said Miroslav Dvoržak, director of the Poradna organization that conducted the project.
The conference was attended by the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Serbia, Eng. Tomáš Kuchta, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Family Care and Demography, public prosecutors, the Republic Institute for Social Protection, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, social welfare centres, providers of free legal aid, and representatives of other state institutions and civil society organizations.
The project "Promoting tools to prevent and combat domestic violence in Serbia" was funded with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic through the Transition Promotion Program, with co-financing from the Poradna pro občanství/Občanská a lidská práva organization.
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