Bratislava, February 8, 2024 – The Alliance of Women in Slovakia, in collaboration with the prestigious norwegian organization Alternative To Violence and partner organizations Kiwi – Center for Developmental Support and the Agency of Róbert Slovák and his friends, through a new campaign of the project Stop the Cycle of Violence, highlights the long-term issue of violence in close relationships in the context of its alarming impact on the lives of children living in violent environments.
The project Stop the Cycle of Violence, funded by Norwegian Grants and the state budget of the Slovak Republic, focuses through experts in the helping professions of psychology, social work, and law not only on the issue of gender-based violence and violence in close relationships but primarily advances efforts to provide help, support, and solutions for women and children living in such relationships in Slovakia.
“Unfortunately, statistics speak a sad language. Almost every third woman experiences some form of physical and/or psychological violence. And its victims are always children, even if the perpetrator does not physically touch them. Children perceive and experience discomfort and violence at home sharply, and their traces often carry in the soul and behavior throughout their lives,” explains Katarína Farkašová, director of the Alliance of Women in Slovakia.
“From a societal perspective, a significant obstacle is the fact that people do not believe women because what they often experience, even as children, is truly unimaginable,” adds Katarína Farkašová.
The main carrier of the campaign for the project is a short film, delving into the life of a child in a violent relationship. “Directed by Paulína Mačáková, the film sensitively depicts the experience of dramatic events in a family and conveys to the audience the emotion that children in such situations go through,” says Róbert Slovák, the creative director of the campaign.
Renowned Czech-Norwegian clinical psychologist Barbora Jakobsen from the prestigious Norwegian organization Alternativa k násiliu, which collaborates with the Alliance of Women in Slovakia on the project, presents the organization’s experiences and her own in the field of working not only with victims of violence but also with people who commit violence in the educational part of the project.
Barbora Jakobsen, drawing from research and studies regarding the impacts of violence in families on the health of individuals and the entire population, emphasizes that “violence also has serious economic consequences and increases the risk of worse mental and physical health for individuals and society as a whole.”
According to her, politicians should know that if we want to save something as a society, prevention and the quality of assistance for people at risk of violence are crucial, and she appeals to competent individuals and institutions: “The most expensive option is to do nothing.”
“The title of the project ‘Stop the Cycle of Violence’ is its strongest message and hope for Slovakia at the same time,” believes Hana Fábry, the project manager of the Alliance of Women in Slovakia.
FOTO: Agentúra Slovák a jeho priatelia, Aliancia žien Slovenska
Aliancia žien Slovenska 