As many as 9,800 notifications and self-alerts of cases of domestic violence were recorded in the first nine months of this year, by 1,800 more than in the corresponding period last year. To inform the population and prevent domestic violence, the General Police Inspectorate has launched a campaign titled “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence”, IPN reports.
In a press release, the Inspectorate said 630 of all the cases were cases of domestic violence, 15 were cases of intentional murder, 21 were cases of rape and nine were cases of sexual violence. In the period, over 1,000 of the victims were women, 62 were women with children, 48 were men and 33 were children. The police issued 3,600 urgent restraining orders and more than 500 protection orders, which is more than last year.
As part of the campaign, there were launched two informative videos that are disseminated through TV channels and social media platforms. The first social video encourages women to call the 112 Service when they face dangers of abuse, while the second video contains general information about the legal norms concerning domestic violence.
According to the police, the women who are subject to violence should first of all call the 112 Service from a safe place and wait for the police to intervene. If they have to urgently leave home, they must make sure that they have an extra key, money, changing clothes and identification papers. So as not to be followed by the aggressor, the person should have a mobile phone with a different card. At the police station, the victim will be guided throughout the next stages.
To prevent the use of violence, the persons can call the women’s trust line 0 8008 8008 to benefit from advice and support.
Domestic violence carries a jail term of three to 15 years. Domestic aggressors are under the supervision of the police, which can issue emergency protective or restraining orders. The aggressor is thus obliged to leave the common home for a period or to keep away from the place where the aggressed person stays.
