Northeastern municipalities lack shelter, crisis center and SOS lines for victims of domestic violence

The six municipalities in the northeastern region lack shelter, crisis center and SOS lines for women victims of gender-based and domestic violence, according to an analysis by NGOs in Kumanovo. Existing social protection programs do not recognize victims of violence as persons at social risk, according to an analysis by the National Roma Centrum, the National Network Against Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, and the Mother Association.

According to the research, the six municipalities in the northeast have not developed measures and allocated funds for the protection of such victims. There is only one counseling center, which operates within the Center for Social Affairs Kumanovo. The NRC analysis shows that five of the six municipalities in the Northeast region have not developed and adopted a municipal social plan that limits the ability of municipalities to monitor gender-based and domestic violence at the local level, to identify the needs of victims, as well as the availability of services and strategically plan the establishment of specialized assistance and support services for victims of domestic violence.

Municipal social protection programs do not recognize victims of gender-based and domestic violence as persons at social risk. No municipality in the region has developed specific measures and allocated budget funds for protection of victims of domestic violence within the programs in the field of social protection, nor provided financial support for providers of specialized services for victims of violence.

• Apart from a specialized counseling center for women and children in Kumanovo, there are no other services that can support women victims of domestic violence. Services are lacking, we do not have fully available information on how to help and support as well as prevention, we do not have an available SOS line, there are no care centers, temporary accommodation of women victims of domestic violence and crisis centers in the northeast region. It is a comprehensive system of protection not only to change the legal regulations, said Ana Avramovska Nushkova from the National Network against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.
  In May 2019, the Law on Social Protection was adopted, which regulates all these rights and services to be provided, to be available to all citizens, including women victims of gender and domestic violence.

She pointed out that we have a new law for prevention and protection of victims of domestic violence, it has been actively implemented for exactly one year, and we, she says, still have no visible progress from the specialized services opened by the Ministry in December 2019 and this is where the overall work.

Not only the state, but also the local authorities have the responsibilities to prepare social plans, to map the problems that they have and are characteristic and should improve social services to help and support women and children victims of gender-based and domestic violence , said Avramovska Nushkova from the National Network against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.

In the Northeast Planning Region, there are two inter-municipal centers for social work in Kumanovo and Kriva Palanka and one center for social work in Kratovo, which provide rights and services in accordance with the Law.

According to the analysis, local governments are & nbsp; obliged & nbsp; to create local policies and programs for the protection of women victims of gender-based violence and domestic violence in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders at the local level (social work centers, police stations, health facilities, preschool and educational institutions) in order to prevent gender-based and domestic violence and protection of victims, and in this regard to have direct cooperation with citizens’ associations.

Local governments & nbsp; are & nbsp; obliged & nbsp; to establish or support associations that will provide specialized services for victims of gender-based and domestic violence, primarily shelters and counseling for victims and in this regard to provide funding for the functioning of specialized services.

Victims of domestic violence deserve essential rights, which, unfortunately, have been denied for years and they have not been given the opportunity to live life with their children, in a better future, said during the presentation of the analysis, Asmet Elezovski, Executive Director of National Roma center Kumanovo.

The general conclusion is that no municipality within the Northeast Planning Region has developed concrete measures and allocated budget funds for protection of victims of gender-based violence within the programs in the field of social protection, nor provided financial support for providers of specialized assistance services. and victim support, and victims of domestic violence are generally not recognized in action and strategic documents in the field of social protection

We ask the localauthorities from the northeast to create policies and programs for the protection of women victims and to provide funds for the functioning of specialized services, said Lidija Ilievska from the association “Mother”.
It is important for the municipalities of the Northeast to work on creating local policies for the prevention of gender-based and domestic violence and thus fulfill the obligations arising primarily from the ratified Istanbul Convention and the National Action Plan. Municipalities should develop measures for the prevention of gender-based and domestic violence and measures for the protection of women and child victims who will be integrated into social plans, social protection programs or develop special programs for the prevention of violence, develop a social plan, strategic document, to monitor the situation, identify the needs of victims and plan activities for the establishment of specialized services for victims.

Kumanovo and the municipalities to provide financial resources and to cooperate directly with the civil society organizations on raising public awareness and providing services for economic empowerment of the victims.

The Municipality of Kumanovo, as the largest municipality in the Northeast Planning Region, is expected to be a leader in the process of financing and establishing specialized services for victims of gender-based and domestic violence in the region, and in this regard it should establish inter-municipal cooperation with municipalities. from the Northeast Planning Region, in order to provide specialized services for assistance and support to women and children victims of gender-based and domestic violence in the region, the recommendations of the analysis say.

Among the main recommendations is for the municipalities in the northeast to provide funds for the functioning of 17 family places that will serve as a crisis center for the victims.