A conference meeting of the Koprivnica-Križevci County Committee for Gender Equality named “The Issue of Domestic Violence and Suggestions for Finding Solutions for Opening Shelters for the Victims of Domestic Violence” was held on July 4th 2014.
Other than many representatives from the Committee for Gender Equality and other government agencies and institutions, the chairwoman of the Association of Women – HERA, Križevci, Marina Švagelj Jažić, also attended the conference meeting. Švagelj Jažić presented to the participants her experiences from the Educational trip visiting Austrian organizations for women victims of violence that was organized by Women’s Room – Center for Sexual Rights (Zagreb). The educational trip was held as a part of the project “Through Education Knowledge – Through Cooperation for Change, which is financially supported by the National Foundation for Civil Society Development.
The conference brought on agreement that the sessions on the subject of domestic violence and the opening of shelters for victims of domestic violence are to be held continuously until a shelter for women victims of domestic violence is re-opened and all the invited parties agree to participate at the meetings.
One of the conclusions that have been passed on the conference meeting reports that there is an evident need for a shelter for victims of domestic violence (Safe Houses in the area of the Koprivnica-Križevci County), which is supported by the data of all the gathered institutions on the number of victims of domestic violence. The second conclusion stresses that it takes the active involvement of all relevant institutions and for both local and regional government to actively participate in order to find the best solution for the opening of a safe-house for victims of domestic violence (specifically, a proposal on adequate space and co-financing).