ABOUT US

Home for children and adults, victims of domestic violence, „Duga – Zagreb“ opened its door in 2007 for children and adults who are victims of domestic violence. This home is first of its kind in Zagreb. In addition, before we got all our work permissions by a former Ministry of Health and Social Welfare we were thoroughly checked and looked at closely by a different inspections.

So we can proudly point up that we fulfilled required criterias related to appearance and equipment, type of equipment that we use and level of professionalism that is required in a home for victims of domestic violence.

Daily we provide accommodation, food, maintenance of hygiene, health care and psychosocial treatment including legal aid. All that we previously pointed up is free for our accommodation beneficiaries.

In the period from 2007 to 2016 we accommodated 811 victims (precisely – 348 women and 463 children). 978 perpetrators of domestic violence have been sent to our treatment center from 2009 to 2016 for psychosocial treatment based on the judicial solution resulting from the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence (protection measures) and the Criminal Code (security measures). Of the total sentenced to psychosocial treatment of perpetrators of domestic violence 746 were men and 232 were women. Since 2005 untill 2016 a total of 7230 clients (out of which 5406 women and 1824 males) used services of our counseling center for children and adult victims of domestic violence.

In the process of acting against domestic violence (when it’s already been done) it’s important that there is a possibility for a victim to be protected and safe from exposure to violence for a certain time. Victim can act freely and effectively overcome the specific problems on the way out of the circle of violence only when she/he moves away from the pressure and the fear. Therefore, it is crucial to provide physical protection and appropriate psychological and counseling assistance that includes helping to address a range of everyday social needs and rights from positive legal regulations. Legal counseling is a platform for many good decisions that victim can take to ensure a better social and psychological status for herself/himself and her/his children. We point up that protection in a home for victims of domestic violence is sought exclusively by women victims because of their developed fear for their own lives. Our home can anyhow accommodate men victims of domestic violence also but it results that out of the total victims of domestic violence there are only 25% men victims. However, the kind of violence that men are exposed to in their families does not lead them to a state of fear for their own lives, so we believe that this is the reason that they don’t seek accommodation and they don’t hide in front of a partner or other family member.

Psycho-social treatment of domestic violence offenders (m / f) – is primarily carried out in order to stop violent behavior in families and in order to protect victims. The treatment is not voluntary for the offenders (m / ž), and is ruled by a court for up to 6 months. We conduct individual and group work and contact with the victim (m / f). In the implementation of the treatment we form the so-called “male”, “female” and “mixed” groups of perpetrators of domestic violence. Once they complete the treatment perpetrators (m / f) are obliged to fulfill the evaluation questionnaire. Three months after the end of the treatment we contact the perpetrator and the victim (m / f) to inspect the type and quality of their relationship.

Counseling is available three times a week (in afternoon from 16.30 to 19.30). We counsel all those who need to be informed about how to protect or check whether the behavior they are exposed to is acceptable or whether they are victims of violence. Advices can be obtained via e-mail, phone or personal arrival.

In the home all forms of treatment and counseling for victims are free, continuous and adapted to their individual needs. Work-occupation activities are also carried out in order to fulfill the free time in a quality manner.

• How to get accommodation in our facility
• Forms of abuse
• Advices
• Survival strategies for women, victims of violence

STATISTICS

Statistics show that violence against women and children usually occurs within the families. WHO issued a report that reveals that between 10 and 69 % of women (depending on which country) are subjected to violence by their husbands or partners during their lifetime.

Over 80% of the incidents of escalation of domestic violence (including the most severe crimes of murder) have been committed by men over women. For this reason, violence against women is recognized as a serious social problem, especially because of the consequences it gives to children if we look at it through the prism of trans-generational transfer of behavioral model. This means that children carry a negative model towards themselves or their mothers, which is why there is a justified danger that the same pattern of behavior is transmitted to their own family members as they grow older and start their own families.