Civic association ŽENA V TIESNI was founded in April 2005, the active activity of the center began in January 2006. Its seat is in Martin. WOMEN IN DISTRESS crisis center is a professional counseling center for women experiencing violence. It also has a telephone crisis line in operation. The specialized workplace comprehensively deals with violence within the Žilina Region, committed in couple relationships, especially against women. Its priority is to actively solve problems of intimate partner violence in the family and eliminate socio-pathological phenomena in society through social prevention, free professional counseling and social services. The association accompanies its clients during the entire, even several years, process of detaching from the rapist. All services provided are free of charge and work is governed by the recommended standards of the European Union. Since the start of its activity, the Crisis Center has provided assistance to 652 women experiencing violence and recorded 6,061 contacts from women experiencing violence. More than 7,000 high school and university students and the public took part in preventive activities.

The crisis center provides the following services:

  • crisis intervention on the crisis telephone line,
  • internet consultation,
  • personal consultations with clients,
  • personal assistance and field work,
  • preparation for court hearings,
  • preparation for interrogation, criminal proceedings,
  • representation in criminal matters,
  • support groups,
  • filial therapy,
  • socio-legal, psychological counseling,
  • preventive activities,
  • distribution of clientele to competent experts,
  • mediation of accommodation.

Help and counseling for women experiencing violence

The association provides a comprehensive specific counseling service to women who are victims of violence. Counseling services are provided on an outpatient basis. Clients can be contacted via the crisis line or by e-mail. Violence can cause women to feel shame, guilt, fear, and insecurity. Telephone contact is the best way to get information and remain anonymous. No one judges anyone, on the contrary, the first priority is the effort to help. It is up to each woman to call. The Crisis Line is designed to help women who are victims of violence. You can call anonymously, the information obtained is confidential. The goal of the Crisis Line is to provide professional help to women after a psychological, physical, economic, or sexual attack. Also to help the client orientate herself in the problem, to overcome barriers, to start the process of detaching herself from the abuser, or to direct her to a specialist, thus helping her to build a full life again. The crisis line provides:

  • crisis intervention,
  • social counseling,
  • legal advice,
  • psychological counseling.

What to expect when you call the Crisis Line:

  • listening and helping to navigate the current situation,
  • understanding and trust,
  • avoidance help: the person who commits the violence is responsible for it, not you,
  • active solution to the situation,
  • assistance in drawing up an individual security plan,
  • practical advice and help in finding other suitable procedures,
  • information from the social, legal and criminal fields.

Through the Crisis telephone line, you have the opportunity to call a professional counselor in crisis and life-threatening situations. This way you can get expert help and support quickly, safely and free of charge. If necessary, you can remotely provide yourself or your loved ones with appropriate help (e.g. police, emergency services...). Advantages:

  • easy accessibility,
  • quick help in an emergency,
  • ensuring anonymity and privacy,
  • the ability to call as needed,
  • a chance to provide help to women from distant regions of the region.

Specific services that the association provides to female clients are:

  • legal, social, psychological counseling,
  • support groups,
  • filial therapy,
  • personal assistance,
  • accompanying to courts, police, social services,
  • help in finding housing.

As part of specific services, Fr. from WOMAN IN DISTRESS also free legal advice in the field of family, property, criminal law for women/persons experiencing violence. Legal advice includes analysis of a legal problem, assistance in drafting court proposals, preparation for a court hearing, mediation of legal representation, participation of female employees of the consultancy in court hearings, preparation for the course of criminal proceedings, represented by a lawyer in criminal proceedings.

Filial therapy – this is parenting skills training for mothers with children, which is carried out using the method of play therapy. Violence by a man against a woman in a partnership disrupts a healthy atmosphere in the family. As a woman lives under stress and in fear for her life and the life of her child, she concentrates a lot of energy on survival, on detaching herself from the rapist. In many cases, the mother's relationship with her child suffers. Communication between them, a relationship of trust and support, which the child needs for its healthy development, has been disrupted. Filial therapy is one of the ways to improve the child's relationship with the mother. Mothers will learn new communication and educational skills in their approach to the child.

Support groups are led by two professional workers of the center. Within the group meetings, women are not only provided with emotional support, insight into the situation, the possibility of self-expression, reliving experiences of belonging and correcting emotional experiences, effective feedback, but especially help and guidance in solving specific problems in an abusive relationship.

Free services for everyone

The services provided by the association are accessible to all women, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, age, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation... They are provided

  • free of charge,
  • fast and non-bureaucratic - women who seek these services do not need any recommendation and no information is required from them until the time the client herself decides to provide them. Although an ordering system is in place, waiting times are shorter than 3 days, in acute cases crisis intervention is provided immediately,
  • long-term – provision of services to one cage usually lasts several months, and often even years; their duration also depends on the speed of work of the courts, as well as on the time needed for the recovery of the client and her children from the psychological trauma experienced,
  • women help women - exclusively women counselors work with clients,
  • anonymity - data are not provided without the client's consent,
  • feminist approach – sensitivity to women's issues,
  • on-the-spot assistance – the workers are on the client's side, protect their interests and help exercise their rights,
  • self-help - help addressed to a woman's needs and interests, strengthening the client's competencies, emphasizing her strengths,
  • trained workers.

Projects focused on prevention

Projects aimed at prevention are intended for high school and university youth, but also for the general public. Their aim is to:

  • increasing awareness of the topic of violence against women,
  • orientation in the topic of gender-based violence,
  • promotion of the counseling center and the topic through leaflets,
  • reducing tolerance towards violence against women,
  • familiarizing women with their rights and obligations,
  • elimination of customary gender stereotypes.

The cycle of lectures on the topic of violence against women has been held for the fourth year in secondary schools of the Turčianske region. The effort is to constantly catch the young generation of women who are potentially threatened by a violent partner, so that they can defend themselves against such violence.

Regional activities Project SILENCED WITNESSES: He recalled the fates of women who died violently at the hands of their husbands, ex-husbands, partners or acquaintances. The exhibition drew attention in seven cities of the Žilina region – Martin, Vrútky, Turčianske Teplice, Ružomberok, Čadca, Žilina, Dolný Kubín – to the social problem of violence against women and the impact of long-term violence on women's lives. The project was implemented with the financial support of the Žilina self-governing region.

Project YOU CAN'T HIT A WOMAN EVEN WITH A FLOWER: He sensibly made high school and university youth, as well as the public, aware of the issue and elimination of violence against women. In five cities of the Žilina region - Martin, Žilina, Čadca, Ružomberok, Dolný Kubín - and in five cities of the Banská Bystrica region - Banská Bystrica, Zvolen, Rimavská Sobota, Lučenec, Žiar nad Hronom - two documentaries were screened: Everything from love, 2004, Jen se dívej, 2005 about domestic violence and violence against women combined with a discussion with the participants. The project was implemented thanks to the financial support of the Government Council of the Slovak Republic for the prevention of crime of the Ministry of the Interior, Žilina and Banskobystrica regions.

Preventive actions are also supported by the distribution of information leaflets. Citizens approached in this way have the opportunity to obtain information about the civic association and the topic of violence against women - forms, cycle, causes, consequences. The website http://www.zenavtiesni.sk. also serves to support citizens' information

This year the exhibition Exit from the circle of violence will take place. It is planned for September and October in the cities of Martin, Žilina, Čadca, Dolný Kubín and Ružomberok. The exhibition aims to highlight the fates of women who died violently, but also those who managed to escape from a violent relationship. It will consist of 12 life-size female mannequins.

Edited by: Mária Mišovičová

Source: Civic association Woman in distress Link: http://www.zenavtiesni.sk

CRISIS LINE Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 043 422 08 53 Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 0907 346 374 Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 0911 346 374