The February meeting of the Working Group on the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women in Košice was not only the first meeting in 2023, but also the first meeting where we welcomed new members.

The membership of the Working Group was expanded with the addition of a representative of the Prosecutor’s Office and a representative of the Psychosocial Centre in Košice. The prosecutor’s office is an important institution not only in criminal but also in civil proceedings. The Psychosocial Centre in Košice provides various services to the people of Košice and one of them is the provision of assisted contact service for children. In our experience, this particular institute is also interesting in terms of its role in cases of violence against women in partner relationships, at a time when court proceedings concerning the custody of children and the regulation of parents’ rights and obligations towards them are under way.

In addition, the representation of the police in the Working Group has been expanded to include a representative from one of the basic police units in Košice, as well as an additional member representing the Criminal Police Department.

One of the objectives of the meeting was to introduce the new members to the previous activities of the Working Group and the common outcomes of this work, as well as to talk about their expectations and needs in relation to the Working Group.

In addition, we also discussed with the Working Group the preparation of the update of the Handbook for State and Public Institutions, which we jointly produced in 2017, and how to work together on the texts in the most effective way. The next meeting of the Working Group is planned for April.

The project „We stand with women. We protect and support them!“ benefits from a 486 622 € grant from Norway through the Norway Grants. The project has been co-financed from the State Budget of the Slovak Republic in the amount of 72 993 €.

The aim of the project is to increase availability of specialist counselling centres for women – survivors of intimate partner violence and their children in Kosice region by enhancing and increasing the quality of support services in the existing counselling centres in Košice, Michalovce and Spišská Nová Ves and establishing new counselling centres in Rožňava, Gelnica and Sobrance. At the same time, our aim is to make information about the counselling centres and help and support they provide more available to women in Košice region and to improve the response of institutions where women and children seek protection from violence

The project is implemented by Fenestra in partnership with OZ HANA and OZ Pomoc rodine.

More about the project: https://www.fenestra.sk/en/we-stand-with-women/

The content of this article is the responsibility of Fenestra, OZ Hana and OZ Pomoc rodine. The programme administrator is not responsible for any information contained in this article.