NUMBER OF USERS OF SAFE HOUSE IN SARAJEVO DECREASES DURING LAST YEAR

SARAJEVO, MARCH 4 (ONASA) – During 2022, 110 victims of domestic violence stayed in the Safe House in Sarajevo. A decrease in the number of accommodation of female beneficiaries in the Safe House was observed last year compared to 2021 – said in an interview with Fena Mubera Hodžić-Lemeš, manager of the Safe House, which is run by the Local Democracy Foundation.
Hodžić-Lemeš emphasized that very complex cases of domestic violence to which women have been exposed for many years are most often placed in the Safe House.
Each case is a very difficult story with painful experiences. For me personally, the most difficult cases are when children were also directly exposed to violence – she said.
Speaking about how many children are included in the protection program, Hodžić-Lemeš pointed out that children come to the Safe House together with their mothers, and that most often these are children who were not directly exposed to violence, but are themselves victims of violence because they witnessed it. .
Last year, 65 percent of the total number of users were children – said Hodžić-Lemeš.
Three services for victims of violence operate within the Safe House, and the total accommodation capacity is 35 people. The shelter for women and children victims of domestic violence (capacity 25 users, 10 women and 15 children), the shelter for girls aged 12 to 18, victims of incest, rape, sexual violence, domestic violence and others operate within that house. forms of violence (capacity 10 girls), and SOS telephone – red line for reporting violence 033/222-000 available 24 hours a day.
There are currently 26 victims of violence residing in the Safe House, of which nine are women, 12 are children and five are girls.
Safe House manager Mubera Hodžić-Lemeš points out that Safe House is a temporary form of care for victims of domestic violence whose goal is physical protection and safety, as well as other services that achieve rehabilitation and resocialization of victims of violence.
In the Safe House, the complete psychosocial treatment of the beneficiaries is carried out with the aim of overcoming traumatic experiences, empowering the victims by strengthening self-confidence and self-esteem, developing social skills, economic empowerment and preparations for a better life without violence after leaving the Safe House – emphasizes Hodžić-Lemeš.
Speaking about the Shelter for Girls Victims of Sexual Violence, she points out that it has been a continuous program since 2002, which refers to the protection of girls aged 12 years. The capacity of the shelter is up to 10 people. The primary goal of the program is to provide direct protection for girls.
In the shelter, girls are provided with psychosocial rehabilitation (group and individual therapy), as well as resocialization (continuation of education and reintegration into social life). Currently, five girls, victims of violence, are staying in the Shelter for Girls – said Hodžić-Lemeš.
The Safe House, as a support service for women and girls, victims of gender-based violence, was established by the Local Democracy Foundation back in 2000. Since then, until today, 2,267 users have passed through the Safe House.
In addition, the Local Democracy Foundation has also established services: the SOS number for reporting violence for the Canton of Sarajevo (033/222-000) as well as the Women’s Center where women victims of violence, single mothers, victims of war and women on the social margins are provided with free legal, psychological and socio-economic support.
We continuously work on the prevention and prevention of violence against women, and together with the network of non-governmental organizations from all over BiH (Safe Network) we urge and appeal to representatives in both houses of the Federal Parliament for the urgent adoption of the new Law on Protection from Domestic Violence, which will be harmonized with the Istanbul Convention – emphasized from the Foundation of Local Democracy.