Women’s Center of Uzice got a license to provide SOS phone line for people with experience of domestic violence – Ženski centar Užice dobio licencu za pružanje usluge SOS telefona za žrtve nasilja u porodici
June 19th, 2018: After two and a half years of service, the Women’s Center of Uzice received a license to provide SOS phone line for people with experience of domestic violence.
By obtaining a license for this service, the Women’s Center Uzice has become a part of the social protection system, which means that it meets all the standards and conditions for providing this service prescribed by the Ministry of Labor, Veterans and Social Affairs.
Citizens recognized the importance of support they receive through the SOS telephone of the Women’s Center of Uzice, as evidenced by the fact that from the beginning of the year until 15.05.2018. received 418 calls, completed 40 hours of individual consultations, 11 legal acts were made. The total number of users of SOS phone and individual consultations by mid-May was 66 – 61 women and 5 men.
Data on the number of received calls and the number of beneficiaries that indicate that this service is significant for citizens of Uzice and Zlatibor district was not a sufficient argument for local self-governments to plan funds for this service, so the Women’s Center Uzice have to fight to provide money for salaries of employees at this service.
This year, 730,000 dinars were provided for the work of SOS telephone through the public procurements announced by the Municipality of Cajetina and the City of Uzice, and the optimal funds for salaries of employees are close to 1,500,000. dinar or about 12 700 euros.
“The idea for the establishment of a SOS telephone in Uzice was reported during campaign for signing the ratification of the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women, Children and the Family, known as the Istanbul Convention, which began in 2012. It was a huge campaign conducted by women’s organizations from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Austria. The Women’s Center participated in the campaign as one of the 6 partner organizations in Serbia, and the idea of establishing a SOS phone came to life on August 15, 2015, with the financial assistance of the city of Uzice.
From the beginning of work 15.08.2015. till March 2018. 1883 calls were received. The highest number of calls was received from Uzice and Sevojno.
In most cases, victims are female, but men also appear, due to violence from other male family members or close relatives. The data we receive through telephone from the user is the information that she/he wants to give. She talks about her experience and needs help in terms of empowerment, encouragement, information and referral. There are a number of women calling several times. The person has the right to speak his story anonymously and to receive our support”, said Radmila Gujaničić from the Women’s Center of Uzice.
She adds that all forms of violence are present – psychological, economical, physical and sexual, and in a large number of cases they appear together.
“People can have very different support needs. It is sometimes a psychological support in terms of empowerment and encouragement for independent decision-making, legal assistance and support in terms of realizing legal rights and initiating procedures for achieving protection against domestic violence, socio-economic support, which includes employment assistance, but also providing information on exercising rights from social protection and rights based on pension and disability insurance. Also, if people live in the village, we give often the information and support in the realization of subsidies in agriculture, etc.”, says Gujanicic.
For two and a half years, the Women’s Center launched 23 litigation procedures for the realization of protection against domestic violence, 5 criminal proceedings, 8 enforcement proceedings, filed 8 appeals with the Appellate Court, 2 complaints to the High Court and filed 17 submissions to the institutions (the court, prosecutors and centers for social work).
The biggest problem with many social services and the SOS phone is financial sustainability. The SOS telephone service requires the engagement of highly qualified personnel in the professions prescribed by the Law on Social Protection, with the completion of appropriate accredited training. In order to keep such personnel, it is necessary to pay salaries in accordance with the professional qualification. The Law on Social Protection stipulates that social services within the competence of local self-governments, which means that they should bi financed from local budgets.
“We can see the long-term solution of the sustainability of the SOS phone in its regionalization. This would mean that all local governments from the Zlatibor district participate in the financing of this service, which would be more economical for the budgets, and a large number of citizens would be able to use the service”, Radmila Gujanicic points out.
All persons facing violence can seek help and advice by calling SOS phone number 0800333445.
The Women’s Center of Uzice is part of the Women’s Network against Violence in Southwestern Serbia, consisting 5 organizations.
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Ženski centar Užice je dobio licencu za pružanje usluge SOS telefona za osobe sa iskustvom nasilja u porodici, nakon dve i po godine rada. Dobijanjem licence za ovu uslugu Ženski centar Užice je postao deo sistema socijalne zaštite, što znači da ispunjava sve standarde i uslove za pružanje ove usluge propisane od strane Ministarstva za rad, boračka i socijalna pitanja.
Građanke i građani su prepoznali značaj podrške koju dobijaju putem SOS telefona Ženskog centra Užice, o čemu govori podatak da je od početka godine do 15.05.2018. primljeno 418 poziva, obavljeno 40 sati individualnih konsultacija, urađeno 11 pravnih akata. Ukupan broj korisnika/ca SOS telefona i individualnih konsultacija do sredine maja bio je 66, od toga 61 žena i 5 muškaraca.
Podaci o broju primljenih poziva i broju korisnica/ka, koji govore u prilog tome da je ova usluga značajna za građanke i građane Užica i Zlatiborskog okruga, nije bio dovoljan argument za loklane samouprave da planiraju sredstva za ovu uslugu pa Ženskom centru Užice predstoji velika borba da obezbedi novac za zarade zaposlenih na ovoj usluzi.
U ovoj godini za rad SOS telefona obezbeđeno je 730.000 hiljada dinara kroz javnu nabaku koju su raspisale Opština Čajetina i Grad Užice, a optimalna sredstva samo za zarade zaposlenih je blizu 1.500.000. dinara ili oko 12 700 evra.
„Ideja za uspostavljanje SOS telefona u Užicu javila se u toku kampanje „Potpisujem“ za ratifikovanje Konvencije Saveta Evrope za sprečavanje i borbu protiv nasilja prema ženama, deci i u porodici, poznatijoj kao Istanbulska konvencija, koja je započela 2012. godine. To je bila velika kampanja koju su sprovodile ženske organizacije iz Slovenije, Hrvatske, Bosne i Hervcegovine, Makedonije, Crne Gore i Austrije. Ženski centar Užice je učestvovao u kampanji kao jedna od 6 partnerskih organizacija u Srbiji, a ideja o osnivanju SOS telefona zaživela je 15. avgusta 2015. uz finansijsku pomoć grada Užica.
Od početka rada 15.08.2015. god. zaključno sa 12.03.2018. primljeno je 1883 poziva. Najveći broj primljenih poziva bio je iz Užica i Sevojna.
U najvećem broju slučajeva to su osobe ženskog pola, ali javljaju su se i muškarci zbog nasilja od drugih muških članova porodice ili bliskih srodnika. Podaci koje mi dobijamo putem telelfona od korisnice su podaci koje ona o sebi želi da da. Ona priča o svom iskustvu i njoj je potrebna pomoć u smislu osnaživanja, ohrabrivanja, informisanja i upućivanja. Ima jedan broj žena zove i više puta, a ne želi da da o sebi nikakve podatke i to je specifičnost SOS usluge u odnosu na institucije. Osoba ima pravo da priča svoju priču anonimno i da dobije našu podršku bez obzira što ne želi da se zna ko je ona“, ističe Radmila Gujaničić iz Ženskog centra Užice.
Ona dodaje da su zastupljeni svi oblici nasilja- psihološko, ekonomsko, fizičko i seksualno, a u velikom broju slučajeva javljaju se udruženo.
„Osobe mogu imati vrlo različite potrebe za podrškom. Nekada je to psihološka podrška u smislu osnaživanja i ohrabrivanja za samostalno donošenje odluka, pravna pomoć i podrška u smislu ostvarivanja zakonskih prava i pokretanja procedura za ostvarivanje zaštite od nasilja u porodici, socio-ekonomska podrška, koja uključuje i pomoć pri zapošljavanju, ali i pružanje informacije o ostvarivanju prava iz socijalne zaštite i prava po osnovu penzijskog i invalidskog osiguranja.Takođe, ako osobe žive na selu, često su to i informacije i podrška u ostvarivanju subvencija u poljoprivredi i sl.“, kaže Gujaničić.
Ženski centar Užice je za dve i po godine rada SOS telefona pokrenuo 23 parnična postupka za ostvarivanje zaštite od nasilja u porodici, 5 krivičnih postupaka, 8 izvršnih postupaka, podneo 8 žalbi Apelacionom sudu, 2 prigovora Višem sudu i podneo 17 podnesaka institucijama (sudu, tužilaštvu i centrima za socijalni rad).
Najveći problem sa mnogim socijalnim uslugama pa i sa SOS telefonom je finansijska održivost. Usluga SOS telefona zahteva angažovanje visoko stručnog kadra u zanimanjima propisanim Zakonom o socijalnoj zaštiti, sa završenim odgovarajućim akreditovanim obukama. Da bi se takvi kadrovi zadržali potrebno isplaćivati zarade u skladu sa stručnom spremom. Zakonom o socijalnoj zaštiti je predviđeno da se socijalne usluge u nadležnosti loklanih samouprava što znači da se finaisraju iz lokalnih budžeta.
„Dugoročno rešavanje održivosti rada SOS telefona vidimo u njgovoj regionlizaciji. To bi podrazumevalo da sve lokalne samouprave sa Zlatiborskog okruga participiraju u finansiranju ove usluge, što bi za budžete bilo ekonomičnije, a veliki broj građana bi dobio mogućnost za korišćenje usluge“, ističe Radmila Gujaničić.
Sve osobe koje se susreću sa nasiljem mogu potražiti pomoć i savet pozivanjem SOS telefona broj 0800333445.
Ženski centar užice deo je Mreže žena protiv nasilja Jugozapadne Srbije, koju čine 5 organizacija.