SLOVENIA FOCUSES ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 000516 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR/NCE EHANSEN, G/IWI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA FOCUSES ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ¶1. (U) Summary. In an August 7 meeting, Sonja Robnik, Senior Advisor in the government's Office for Equal Opportunities, told PolEcon officer that the government of Slovenia is working on new legislation that would criminalize domestic violence that it will propose soon. Currently there is no umbrella legislation protecting victims of domestic violence, although, according to Robnik, NGOs estimate that 1 in 3 women in Slovenia experience domestic violence. The Office for Equal Opportunities held a conference in May to focus NGOs, police and government on the problem of violence against women. End Summary. -------------- NEW LAW TO CRIMINALIZE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE -------------- ¶2. (U) The Government of Slovenia (GoS) recognized it needs to correct the lack of umbrella legislation on domestic violence. PolEcon officer met with Sonja Robnik, Senior Advisor in the Office for Equal Opportunities (OEO),on August 7, 2007 to discuss the current situation regarding domestic violence. Robnik said the current estimate is that 1 in 3 women is a victim of domestic violence, which is similar to Austria, Germany, and Finland. Slovenia's new Human Rights Ombudswoman Cebasek Travnik expressed concern in her first annual human rights report that Slovenia lacks relevant legislation concerning domestic violence and has made reducing all forms of violence a top priority. ¶3. (U) Robnik stated that, until now, domestic violence has not been specifically prohibited under the law; it was only addressed piecemeal in different legislation. In 2005, the UNHRC announced its concern about the lack of specific legal provisions. According to Robnik, the upcoming Act addresses this concern. Robnik posited that a big challenge will be how to implement this new legislation, which is very good in her opinion--at least the draft that she has read. The new legislation institutes criminal penalties for perpetrators of domestic violence. (Since the end of August 2003, the Police Act has provided for the option of obtaining a restraining order against perpetrators of domestic violence.) The new act also will focus on protection of children in domestic violence situations. Multi-disciplinary teams including health professionals, social workers, police, NGOs, teachers, and counselors will carry out activities for the prevention of violence. Free legal advice will be provided in certain circumstances. ¶4. (U) Robnik discussed a few of the problems of prosecuting domestic violence cases. She cautioned that the problem is getting judges to see the issue of domestic violence "through the gender lens." To that end, the Office will offer judges and prosecutors special training. Police, social workers, and nurses already receive training, but the Office cannot oblige judges and prosecutors to take the training. She also mentioned the long time it takes to bring cases to court; the amount of time and energy necessary often results in cases being dropped before they are concluded. -------------- CONFERENCE ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN -------------- ¶5. (U) As part of the groundwork to prepare for the new legislation, OEO held a one-day conference in May on violence against women in which about 120 people participated. Professor Katja Filipcic, the writer of the draft Act on the Prevention of Domestic Violence, was the keynote speaker and reviewed some of the provisions of the draft legislation. For this conference, the Office worked closely with NGOs such as the Association against Violent Communication and SOS Phone, which operates a 24-hour hotline to report abuse. Participants included NGOs, police, representatives from the 60-plus regional centers for social care, nurses, the Ministry of Labor, and the 12 regional coordinators for the prevention of domestic violence. -------------- NGOs WORK TO PREVENT MORE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE -------------- ¶6. (U) Robnik said that there are shelters for victims of domestic violence in every region of Slovenia but one; these shelters are mostly run by NGOs with government support. Although there are several NGOs that deal with domestic violence, there is only one NGO dealing with the perpetrators, the Association against Violent Communication (AAVC). AAVC trains perpetrators with social skills such as non-violent communication. Prosecutors have the option of choosing either to send perpetrators to court or to this training. AAVC,s training has had some success. -------------- BACKGROUND ON OFFICE FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES -------------- ¶7. (U) The government of Slovenia (GoS) established OEO in 2001 as an autonomous governmental office under the Secretary General of the GoS. The director's position is chosen through public tender for a five year term. Robnik explained that historically Slovenes regarded domestic violence as a private issue but it became a state issue in the late 1980s as a result of NGOs, pressure. The Office for Equal Opportunities has three main functions: monitoring the status of women, raising awareness, and proposing legislation directly to the Government. Being a governmental office, Robnik opined that OEO has an advantage because it can work inter-agency and cooperate with other ministries. She noted that every ministry must appoint a coordinator for equal opportunities who cooperates with, and is trained by, OEO. She added that about 10 percent of communities have coordinators, too, though they are not obliged to do so. ROBERTSON