“More than 109,000 cases of domestic violence have been looked into in the 27 months of the implementation of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, while courts have handed down more than 38,000 decisions on emergency measures,” Justice Minister Nela Kuburović said at a panel meeting on the prevention of violence against women and on combating trafficking in women.
“This means that we have protected 38,000 potential victims. In less than three years of its implementation, the Act has proved to be rather effective. It is true that we still have fatalities, but the value of this Act lies in the fact that we have a large number of those saved from violence,” Kuburović explained.
The Justice Minister emphasised that a large number of reported cases of domestic violence was indicative of victims’ empowerment and trust in institutions, which was not the case before.
She stressed the pre-emptive nature of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, since prosecutors and police can act before the violence escalates.
“Strong multi-sectoral cooperation has been established among all authorities responsible for looking into reported cases of violence,” Kuburović added.
Kuburović also pointed out that the Free Legal Aid Act, which came into effect on 1 October, introduced additional protection for victims of domestic violence in the sense that they are also entitled to free legal aid and support.
“It is yet another form of government support aimed at victims’ empowerment. This is proof that, as regards the protection of victims of domestic violence, we did not stop at adopting the statute, which is in force as of 2017, but we keep working on the prevention of domestic violence and protection of victims,” Kuburović concluded.
The panel meeting on combating violence against women was held in the framework of the International Conference Women Leaders and Sustainable Development – Truly Equal, organised by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs.