Strategy for Preventing Violence 2015-2020

Brief Description

In 2015, the Government of the Republic approved the “Strategy for Preventing Violence in 2015-2020”, encompassing violence between children, abuse of children, domestic violence, sexual violence and trafficking in human beings, and aiming to achieve a situation in which violence is not tolerated in society, violence is noticed and it is interrupted. The aim is also that victims of violence would be protected and would receive help, that work would be conducted with abusers and in relation to prevention of violence. In order to achieve the Strategy’s overall goal, 4 sub-goals have been set: people’s skills in avoiding, recognising and intervening in violence have improved; protection and support of violence victims corresponding to their needs is better ensured; proceedings of violence cases are more victim-friendly; treatment of perpetrators of violence is more effective and their repeat offending has decreased.

In the strategy, violence prevention is addressed at three levels of prevention – universal prevention, protection of victims and dealing with consequences of violence. Firstly, the strategy addresses public awareness and education of people; secondly, it focuses on the risk of falling victim or committing an offense; and thirdly, the consequences of violence are addressed through the strategy, providing support measures to victims and interventions to violent offenders. The solutions proposed in the strategy are guided by the World Health Organisation’s understanding that risk factors for violence are related to the society (e.g. norms favouring violence, gender inequality), the community (e.g. lacking victim support services), relationships (e.g. domestic conflicts, poor parenting skills) and persons (e.g. history of abuse as a child, psychological and behavioural problems, addiction problems).