A Domestic Violence Pandemic – Meydan.TV
Recommendations for victims of domestic violence
In an interview with the Moldovan publication ZDG, lawyer Arina Turcan recommends that in order to enhance safety and defense during self-isolation, victims should always have a phone to use it in an emergency. It is also recommended that victims maintain communication with friends and neighbors that they trust. Together with them, they need to develop a crisis plan to make sure they know when they need to rush to help and what to do. For example, together they can agree on a signal that will warn them that the victim needs help so they can call the police or knock on the door.
The non-governmental organization La Strada in Moldova recommends that everyone in forced isolation should be vigilant and pay more attention to neighbors, relatives and close friends. “This is exactly the case when eavesdropping on sounds behind a neighbors’ wall or fence is not a sign of ill manners, but can protect someone’s health or life.”
In an interview with Hromadske, psychologist and psychotherapist Vladimir Stanchishin explains that women who regularly suffer from domestic violence acquire the helplessness syndrome, in other words, they do not believe that anyone will help them. Therefore, it is important that people around them who are aware of the violence persuade the victim that they cannot tolerate it. And that the first thing to do is to contact the police.
Shelters for women and children exist in only three major cities in Azerbaijan – Baku, Ganja and Sumgait. All were established by non-governmental organizations. Although the Baku shelter for women and children is only designed for 30 people, 23 women and 22 children are living in it during the lockdown.
There are no hotlines or helplines in the country for victims of domestic violence. Mehriban Zeynalova believes that the government should create special counseling centers in different parts of the country to provide legal, psychological and social help to victims of domestic violence.
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