You are not alone in this.
Maybe you are afraid, maybe you still believe that time will change everything. You are wondering why things are happening to you that are threatening you. You may no longer have the energy to defend yourself effectively, you feel that you cannot stop the violence. You feel that you have failed and you are left alone for everything and there is no one to help you.
You are certainly not alone, such worries bother many women. About 2,500 women have already sought our help, so don`t be alone with your problem and seek help. The violence will not stop on its own, but there are several ways to get out of the vicious circle of violence you are experiencing. By searching for our site, you no longer be lonely with your problem. Our effort will help you find a way out of the violent relationship. It`s never too late to leave.
Your situation is not dead end. Try contacting one of the counseling centers in your area, or contact our counseling center, where we can help you find a new way. If you decide to change, you will encourage those women who remain in a violent environment.
At present, 21.2% of adult women aged 18-64 who have a partner, ie approximately 570,000 women, experience violence in Slovakia. The incidence of violence against women from ex-partners is even higher: 27.9% of adult women who had an ex-partner experienced violent behavior, of which 12.2% were violent. The situation of these women is compared to a state of war, survival of a natural disaster or survival of captivity in a concentration camp.
o Violence alone will not stop!
o The rapist will not change!
o The rapist`s actions are conscious and targeted!
o There is no excuse for violence!
o The perpetrator is responsible for the violence!
o No one has the right to commit violence on you!
o Everyone has the right to live without violence and does not deserve to be abused.
o Let`s not tolerate violence together
¹ Data from the last representative research: Bodnárová, Filadelfiová, Holubová: Representative research of the incidence and experience of women with violence against women (VAW) in Slovakia, IVPR and UNIFEM, 2008.
WHAT TO DO?
- Violence is a criminal offense and no one has the right to treat you in this way. What can you do for yourself if you experience violence in a relationship?
- If you experience violence in a relationship, seek professional help. In the civic association WOMAN IN NEED, we will provide you with comprehensive advice. We will help you detach yourself from the abuser and start a new, better life. Believe it. We will trust you.
- Leaving an abusive partner or spouse is a very difficult situation. You may be exposed to the different faces of your partner or spouse (pleas, promises, short-term expressions of love). In kind words, but also with threats, he will try to keep you in a relationship or get you back.
- The first step is always difficult. Do not justify or underestimate violence. No one has the right to harm you or your children. Don`t be ashamed of the violence. Shame falls on the perpetrator. Trust your family, friend, friend. People you trust can be your source of help and support.
- If you do nothing, the violence itself will not stop. Vice versa. In the years you have been living in a violent relationship, you know that violence tends to escalate. Your partner or spouse has promised you many times that he will change. However, the situation has always returned to normal. His change of behavior was short-lived, if any at all.
- If you are considering leaving an abusive partner or spouse, consider a safety plan in advance so as not to endanger yourself or your children. Explain to the children what is happening so that they can understand. Avoid slandering their father.
How to proceed with the attack:
• In case of an attack, call the police on the toll-free numbers 158 or 112.
• If you are attacked during a police call, leave the phone on-hook and shout, try to get to the exit and escape.
• Do not clean up any signs of violence before the police arrive - evidence (broken glass, torn clothes, tufts of hair
)
• Try to talk to the police without your partner or spouse present.
• Find out the names of police officers who have intervened and ask for a record of the intervention.
• According to the Police Force Act, intervening police officers may expel a violent person from an apartment or house and prohibit them from entering this residence for 48 hours. The time is extended if there is a weekend or holiday for this time. At this time, you have the opportunity to apply to the court for a preliminary injunction to ban the abuser from entering the apartment or house. You can also file this petition in court if the police do not expel the rapist from the apartment or house.
• If the abuser is not detained, try to leave the house briefly, if possible. Don`t leave without children.
How to proceed after the attack:
• If the abuser injured you during the attack, seek medical attention. It is advisable to record every injury that is the result of violence - even a small one - with the attending physician. If possible, do not tell the abuser about the medical treatment. Save the treatment report in a place where your partner or spouse cannot find it, resp. to destroy
• Violence is a crime! You can file a criminal complaint in person (orally in the minutes) or in writing (by post) at the police, prosecutor`s office or court. You can also file a criminal complaint electronically, but in this case it must be confirmed within 3 days, in writing by post or orally. It is necessary for you to tell in detail about the violent behavior of your partner or spouse, do not focus your attention only on the last incident, emphasize the longevity of the violence in your relationship. The more data and evidence you provide (eg medical treatment reports, video and audio recordings, threatening SMS, injured items, witness events), the more likely you are to successfully complete the criminal proceedings. If you are in the police or another body, always read carefully what you sign. Do not give up your rights under the law (eg the right to study the investigation file after the investigation has been completed).
• If the abuser has not been apprehended, you can take urgent action in court after filing a criminal complaint to ban the abuser from entering the apartment or house where the violence took place.
