STA, 25 November 2020 - Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, observed on Wednesday, Slovenia called for ending violence against women. Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina said that raising awareness about such efforts is key, noting that Covid-19 has led to a rise in domestic violence.

Between 16 March and 31 May, there was an 11% increase in domestic violence cases, police data show, with NGOs reporting a rise in the number of helpline calls during the spring lockdown.

The ombudsman believes that support services for victims of violence should be a priority, including access to safe houses and crisis centres.

Svetina's office has found that such facilities have remained open and accessible to victims, however they were under-staffed and had insufficient room capacities to enable self-isolation or quarantine if needed.

The ombudsman has thus urged the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities to provide such support facilities with everything they require.

Women and girls should be empowered and men and boys educated in order to stem violence against women and girls, he said.

What is also key is supporting victims in relevant procedures, staff training and giving a clear signal that violence is unacceptable, Svetina said.

He warned that the definition of rape in the penal code should be updated, based on lack of consent, and the redefining should indicate that sexual acts are not allowed if they are not consensual for all the participants.

President Borut Pahor also issued a statement on the occasion, saying violence against women was unfortunately still widely present and affected children as indirect or direct victims as well.

Noting that the lockdown had definitely further deteriorated the situation, Pahor urged people to speak out about the violence. Silence about violence is not golden, the president argued.

He urged zero tolerance against any forms of violence, "including verbal and psychological violence, as such violence is used by perpetrators to subjugate those who are weaker and trap them into a circle that is hard to escape, especially in times of crisis".

The ZSSS trade union meanwhile warned that workplace violence was also a burgeoning issue of concern during the epidemic, particularly among essential workers, such as health workers, care home staff, cleaners and those working in shops - occupations where women account for the majority of staff.

The organisation thus urges the ministry and the government to immediately launch a procedure to ratify the 2019 Violence and Harassment Convention by the International Labour Organisation, a document which aims to eliminate workplace violence.

The union of medical associations of nurses, midwives and medical technicians notes that the epidemic has rolled back the decades-long fight against domestic violence and workplace violence.

The organisation has called on relevant authorities to step up their efforts to protect the rights of children, the elderly, women and other vulnerable groups.

A nationwide study has shown that one in two women has experienced at least one type of violence since turning 15, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has pointed out.

Domestic violence is present in one in five families. One in seven women has been raped and only 5% of women who have experienced violence against them seek any kind of help, the NIJZ quoted findings by NGOs.

Organisations providing support meanwhile highlight that help is available during the epidemic as well, urging Slovenians to report any kind of violence.

The pandemic put everything on hold for a few months, and one of the events that was cancelled was the Spring Soiree, in which the SILA-IWCL (International Women's Club Ljubljana) gathers to raise money for a good cause.

To replace it the organization has joined forced with the French Embassy in Ljubljana to put the spotlight on a campaign to help furnish a new Safe House in Novo Mesto that welcomes women and children victims of domestic violence. Until the end of July you can donate money to the Safe House via SILA IWCL’s account:

Sberbank, IBAN SI56 3000 0010 4338280, SWIFT/BIC code SABRSI2X

Learn more about the project on SILA’s website, and follow the various events and opportunities that the group organizes on Facebook.

Domestic violence in Slovenia

Research shows that domestic violence remains a common problem in Slovenian, and there were fears of a surge in incidence during the lockdown. The latest study, carried out post-corona, is from the IPES Institut (Inštitut za proučevanje enakosti spolov, the Gender Equality Research Institute), titled “The atmosphere in intimate-partner relationships and families in times of quarantine and insecurity”.

It examined issues around domestic violence with data from 700+ anonymous and online surveys, completed from all of Slovenia’s statistical regions. More specifically, the study looked at: 1) the general understanding of gender-related roles in relationships (the persistence of gender stereotyping); 2) actual lockdown experience (the underside of the idealized family image); 3) coping with distress.

The results show a high prevalence of intimate partner abuse, made worse by the pressures and confinement of lockdown. The abstract highlights the following findings:

• ·      34.7% of men and 18% of women did not agree with the statement that the perpetrator is always responsible and guilty for an act of violence.
• ·      30% of respondents believed that in times of crisis women work to should calm conflicts, calm potentially stressful situations and relationships and not raise their own problems.
• ·      Just 11% of respondents stated they will have fond memories of the weeks in isolation, as they loved being at home.
• ·      5% of respondents think that violence is sometimes justified, while a further 10% neither agree nor disagree with this statement.
• ·      35% of the respondents believe that it is right for women to do most of the housework at home.
• ·      15% of women answered that the corona crisis further increased their financial dependence on their partners.
• ·      85% of respondents did not talk to anyone about their concerns during the lockdown.

STA, 8 April 2020 - The coronavirus crisis has raised fears about a spike in domestic violence, which has been detected in many countries during the pandemic. The latest data from Slovenian police do not show a significant increase in such cases since lockdown was put in place, but activists as well as authorities warn that could be misleading.

Mounting evidence shows that the Covid-19 pandemic has been fuelling domestic abuse across the world in the wake of lockdown restrictions and heightened stress, exacerbating cases where such incidents were already common before and prompting new instances of violence against women and children in particular.

The current situation may hence cause a spike in domestic violence in Slovenia as well, an issue that may be considered a pandemic in itself due to its systemic and widespread nature, according to experts.

One in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence, mostly from their intimate partner, show the World Health Organization's (WHO) global estimates. "This makes it the most widespread, but among the least reported human rights abuses," the organisation has said.

Concerns have been raised by activists that measures put in place to contain the spread of the virus are leaving victims of domestic violence essentially trapped at home with abusive partners. Perpetrators of domestic violence are likely to strike more during times of crisis, said the WHO, with lockdowns cutting off escape routes and making it easier for the abusers to isolate and exert control over their victims.

Such extreme situations may also lead to never-before-seen outbursts of domestic violence, with families and couples being isolated in a time of worries and fears amid the epidemic. Emotions running high, tensions can escalate quickly.

More time would have to pass for experts to gauge the actual impact of the crisis, however domestic violence hotlines and NGOs have already detected that things have taken a turn for the worse.

The Association for Non-violent Communication has reported an increase in helpline calls since the start of the epidemic, pointing out that most of those calls are coming from abuse victims who have already sought help with the NGO before.

Numerous callers report that they are experiencing issues concerning special care arrangements in shared child custody cases.

There have been women calling in for the first time, but not as many as the association would expect during such a time. This relatively low number is a cause for concern, the NGO has said, highlighting that coexisting at close quarters often leads to a spike in conflicts, but it also makes it harder for the victims to make an emergency phone call.

"In times when there is more cohabitation, the victim is left with rare or zero moments when they could call," Tjaša Hrovat, a counsellor at the NGO, told the STA.

Some victims have confided in her that they cannot dare or even imagine to plan ahead for a safer life during such precarious and anxious times.

In 2018, Hrovat told the STA that one in four to five women in Slovenia had suffered domestic violence, a much higher figure than one would have expected.

Meanwhile, the SOS Phone for Women and Children Association is hearing from an increased number of neighbours or closed ones who are trying to help because they have noticed "something was not right". The victims would even send their neighbours a text calling for help and the latter would then seek support at relevant helplines.

Epidemic-related distress must not justify violence against loved ones, Maja Plaz of the SOS helpline highlighted for the STA, urging neighbours and relatives to be extra vigilant and report any possible cases of domestic abuse.

She also warned about violence against children and the disabled, who may also more than ever experience rapid escalations of violence due to extreme circumstances.

The police have called on persons facing abuse at home to report such incidents, regardless of the lockdown, and called for a zero-tolerance policy regarding violence.

In the first three months of 2020, the police recorded a nearly 25% surge in domestic violence reports - an increase from 333 cases in the same period last year to 415 offences against partners, family members and children; the growth rate slowed down during the last two weeks in March after anti-coronavirus restrictions were introduced.

This could imply that domestic violence has not been swelling, but the police have warned that based on their experience, it could well be that the circumstances themselves are thwarting reporting of such emergencies, with victims being less able to phone and report or even to contact a friend or relative.

Whereas domestic abuse services are mainly providing support online and via telephone, safe houses have been faced with the dire need to keep operating as they did before the crisis amid ramped up health and safety concerns.

A domestic abuse shelter for women drug users is keeping its doors open during the epidemic, with almost all of its available spots occupied.

Being a survivor or victim of any kind of abuse may correlate with using illicit drugs, Neva Faninger, a social worker working at the safe house has said, adding that women who seek help at the shelter are often stranded in a state of semi-homelessness, which only further marginalises them, particularly during the lockdown.

Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, the shelter has also seen the situation aggravated by tensions running high and such women finding it even harder to get help due to movement restrictions and the stigma revolving around addiction.

Due to the safe house's high hygienic standards and rules required in such an environment to reduce the impact of drug use, there has been little need to additionally ramp up disinfection efforts during the epidemic, added Faninger, finding a silver lining in the situation.

The shelter, a safe space for women caught in a vicious circle of drug use and violence, is the only such facility in Slovenia and one of the few in general that does not expect its residents to be completely drug-free upon entering it, said Faninger.

Instead it aims to help them without judging and mitigate damage caused by drugs gradually - a policy that got some recognition in March when Sabina Zorec, the initiative's manager, received a Women on Women award for feminist heroines.

STA, 25 November 2019 - Various forms of violence experienced online will be in the focus as Slovenia joins a 16-day international campaign addressing violence against women. The Ministry of Labour, the Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities says a number of studies have shown online violence and harassment of women is increasing.

To address the issue, an international conference will be held at Brdo pri Kranju on Wednesday to present a project aimed to combat various forms of digital violence.

The campaign will be launched today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, running until Human Rights Day, observed on 10 December.

Statistics show that one in two Slovenian women have experienced at least one form of violence before turning 15.

The ministry says Slovenia has committed to make major progress in addressing the issue of violence against women.

It notes the country has taken a major step forward by ratifying the Council of Europe's convention against violence against women and domestic violence.

This year Slovenia compiled its first report on the implementation of the convention and submitted it to GREVIO, a monitoring mechanism set up to ensure parties to the convention implement it effectively.

The UN declared 25 November the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in 1999 to remember the assassination of the Mirabel sisters from the Dominican Republic.

Domestic Violence Remains Common in Slovenia (Feature)

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has noted violence against women is one of the most wide-spread and persistent violations of human rights, urging action.

Globally, more than a third of women have already experienced physical and/or sexual violence, with 750 million marrying before the age of 18.

In 2017, at least 87,000 women and girls were killed around the world only because they were women. As many as 58% were victims of their partners or other family members, UN statistics show.

STA, 10 July 2019 - The suspended president of the Maribor Labour Court Stanko Omerzu was handed a suspended two-month prison sentence with one year probation by the Maribor Local Court on Wednesday for a death threat issued in a store to his former intimate friend. A separate trial against Omerzu over stalking the same woman is expected to continue on Thursday.

Omerzu, who was suspended by Supreme Court President Damijan Florijančič last September as he refused to step down, has already appealed the ruling.

The judge's case has also been making headlines over delays caused by the long-standing Labour Court president avoiding picking up official letters from the court and having hearings postponed due to ill health.

Before suspending him, Florijančič expressed concern about the developments in Maribor, saying it was especially hard to understand how official letters could not be delivered to a judge who was a suspect in criminal proceedings, especially given that the person was on sick leave.

All our stories on domestic violence in Slovenia are here

Časoris is an online newspaper aimed at children. Each week we’ll take an article and post it here as a Slovene-English dual text.

Written by Sonja Merljak Zdovc, translated by JL Flanner & G Translate

Od ljubezni do nasilja je včasih le majhen korak

It's only a small step from love to violence

V Sloveniji se redkokdaj pripetijo grozljivi dogodki kot iz filmov ali televizijskih nadaljevank.

In Slovenia there rarely happen horrific events like in movies or TV shows.

Toda letos ste celo otroci slišali, da si je neko dekle hotelo odrezati dlan, da bi dobila denar od zavarovalnice.

But this year, even children heard that some girl wanted to cut off her hand to get money from an insurance company. [See details here]

https://www.total-slovenia-news.com/news/3211-woman-cuts-off-own-hand-in-ljubljana-fraud-case

V to naj bi jo prepričal njen fant, Sebastien Abramov, ki se je prej pisal Sebastjan Colarič, a je nato spremenil ime in priimek. Abramov je sicer osumljen tudi, da je marca 2015 umoril svoje prejšnje dekle Saro Veber.

She was persuaded by her boyfriend Sebastian Abramov, who was previously named Sebastjan Colaric, , but then changed his surname. Abramov is also suspected of murdering his previous girlfriend Saro Weber in March 2015.

Zadnje dni pa se je veliko ljudi pogovarjalo o hudem napadu na mariborsko sodnico. Ko je pred dobrimi desetimi dnevi v soboto ob pol enih ponoči prišla domov, so jo napadli in tako zelo pretepli, da je še vedno v bolnišnici.

In recent days, many people have talked about a severe attack on a Maribor judge. When she arrived home on Saturday afternoon, about ten days ago, she was attacked, and she was beaten so badly that she is still in hospital.

Policisti so preiskovali, ali je bil razlog za napad povezan z njeno službo ali z zasebnim življenjem.

The police investigated whether the cause of the attack was linked to her job or private life.

Sodniki namreč sodijo tudi hudim zločincem in že večkrat se je zgodilo, da so jim ti zato grozili.

Specifically, judges often enouncter the worst criminals, and many times they have been threatened.

A policisti so zdaj sporočili, da je bil napad povezan s sodničinim zasebnim življenjem.

But the police have now reported that the attack was linked to a judge's private life.

Sodnica je, poroča mariborski časopis Večer, nameravala zapustiti svojega partnerja.

The judge, according to the Maribor newspaper Večer, intends to leave her partner.

Policisti so zoper domnevnega storilca podali kazensko ovadbo zaradi poskusa umora. Po informacijah novinarjev Večera je domnevni storilec tega hudega napada prav sodničin partner, ki ga sicer policisti še nikoli niso obravnavali zaradi nasilja v družini.

The police have filed a criminal complaint against the alleged perpetrator for attempted murder. According to Večer's reporters, the alleged perpetrator of this serious attack is the judge's partner, whom the police have never dealt with before with regard to domestic violence.

Nasilja v družini je tudi v Sloveniji precej.

Domestic violence is also not rare in Slovenia.

V nevladnih organizacijah večkrat povedo, da se najhujše nasilje nad ženskami običajno zgodi tedaj, ko te partnerju, naj bo to mož ali fant, povedo, da ga bodo zapustile.

In NGOs, they often say that the worst violence against women usually happens when a partner, whether a husband or boyfriend, is told to leave.

Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.

STA, 22 June 2019 - Police investigating an attack on a Maribor District Court judge have apprehended the judge's spouse following a late-night search of the couple's house, Večer reported on Saturday.

The Maribor-based paper says it has unofficial information the man was apprehended in connection with the brutal attack that almost killed his spouse Daniela Ružić judge and is treated by police as attempted murder.

A police spokesman confirmed Sunday that a suspect had been apprehended but refused to disclose his identity or whether he is the only suspect.

"We searched the suspect's house and two vehicles yesterday looking for evidence or traces associated with the crime. We apprehended a suspect and police procedures continue today," Maribor Police District director Bojan Kitl told the press.

Ružić, a judge at the corporate crime department of the Maribor District Court, was badly beaten in front of her home last Sunday, in the small hours of the morning.

She was admitted to hospital in critical conditions but is apparently stable now.

The attack drew strong condemnation from her peers and from politicians, since it was believed it may have been connected with her work.

Kitl said that several possible avenues were being investigated "in relation with the judge's personal life and in connection with her work."

STA, 6 January 2019 - The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (Ministrstvo za delo, družino, socialne zadeve in enake možnosti) has issued a call to subsidise projects targeting dating violence and gender-based stereotype in a bid to promote gender equality.

In a national survey conducted in 2010 almost half of the women questioned reported having experienced psychological violence in relationship with their partners. One out of four (23%) reported being subject to physical violence and 7% said they experienced sexual violence.

Such violence often begins even before the partners move in together, so it is important to raise awareness and empower young people to recognise early warning signs such as when one of the partners tries to limit the other partner's contacts with friends or checks on her phone calls or text messages.

"Such form of violence is not talked about often enough and young people often have misconceptions about partnerships," the ministry said.

Related: Domestic violence remains common in Slovenia (feature)

One of the campaigns that deals in part to dating violence is Click-Off, an EU-subsidised project implemented since 2017 which has been raising awareness about online bullying of girls.

The ministry is also offering subsidies to projects helping boys to overcome gender-based stereotypes and social expectations about the role of women and men in society.

An international conference organised by the ministry in October for teachers heard how gender-based stereotypes are being fought in Finland and Iceland, calling for similar projects in Slovenia.

In a call open until 28 January, the ministry would like to encourage NGOs to address gender-based stereotype in the fields where they affect boys such as in deciding on their academic and professional careers or in how they perceive their role in a relationship.

The ministry is planning to subsidise at least five projects with up to EUR 10,000 each. The total available sum is estimated at roughly EUR 50,000.

The call is not aimed at research projects but rather at smaller projects conducted by NGOs for the first time. Experience has shown that such pilot projects are met with a good response among young people on the ground.

The Ljubljana-based design agency Formitas, led by creative director Blaz Ritmanič, has won the 11th international Plaktivat competition for its poster on the issue of domestic abuse and violence against women. The competition was organised in co-operation with TAM TAM and Društvo SOS telefon (the SOS Telephone Society) to use visual means to highlight the unacceptability of such violence, and to alert women that an organisation exists which can help and is just a telephone call away (on 080 11 55).

Related: Domestic violence remains common in Slovenia

The contest received 336 entries from 191 artists and agencies, 61 from Slovenia and 130 from abroad, with representatives from 31 countries, including Algeria, Mexico, Thailand, Romania, China, Iran, the United States, Finland, Russia, Poland and Zimbabwe.

Related: More work needed to stop violence against women and the disabled

The winning entry, as shown with this story, will be displayed around Slovenia on Tam-Tam billboards until February 2019. The words Ljubil te bom mean “I love you”, while when the first two letters are hidden the phrase become Ubil te bom, or “I’ll kill you”. This visual play on words is intended to show the transition from psychological to physical violence, and the hidden nature of the issue.

You can learn more about Formitas here, while TAM TAM’s site is here, and Društvo SOS telefon has an English language site here.

STA, 26 November 2018 - As Slovenia observes Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the country's Social Chamber drew attention to violence against people with disabilities, which they say remains a taboo topic.

"Nongovernmental organisations active in the field estimate that violence is experienced by between 12 and 13 percent of disabled persons, who find it hard to seek help," Suzi Kvas, the head of the chamber's section for safe houses, said on Monday.

Kvas called for a comprehensive approach to violence, warning that violence against persons with disabilities is a social problem affecting everyone. She urged those who observe such form of violence to report it and to help the victims.

Data from the two schemes that allow the disabled in wheelchairs or using braces to withdraw from a violent environment shows that violence against the disabled is more widespread than against the rest of the population, that women are more at risk and that violence is present within the family and in institutions.

Related: Domestic violence remains common in Slovenia

Breda Božnik, a state secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, said that violence against women was a universal phenomenon, a "tenacious and grave violation of human rights" and that disabled women were especially vulnerable.

Slovenia has a domestic violence prevention act, but the ministry is drawing up a resolution on the prevention of violence against women, which is to be passed next year.

Human Rights Ombudsman Vlasta Nussdorfer gets "a letter from a person drawing attention to violence every once in a while", but when her team tries to intervene many do not want help for fear that they would become even more isolated and would not benefit from trying to prove violence.

Nussdorfer said that this was not the right message to the perpetrators "so it's right that the media should draw attention to the unacceptability of violence against people with disabilities." She also called for raising awareness of the victims.

Related: Ljubljana by Wheelchair presents the most accessible places in the city