Globally, research reveals that violence committed against women by their
current or former intimate partners/spouses is a problem that knows no borders.
How do countries respond to social problems like violence committed against
women if—for decades—they had barely acknowledged its existence? That is
exactly the question Dr. Susan L. Miller and doctoral student Gabriela Wasileski
set out to explore in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in summer 2008. Following
the end of communism, Central and Eastern European countries sought to enter
the European
Union (EU). As
one of the
conditions of
membership,
member states
are mandated to
develop a plan to
address the
pervasive issue
of violence
against women.
International
scholars believe
that more and
more battered
women are
asking for help
from the
government, the
criminal justice
system, and
social services,
yet the
infrastructure
needed to handle
victims of
interpersonal
violence is
scarcely in place.
Need for safe
shelters, legal
reform and
advocacy are
even greater for poorer women and for the largest ethnic minority, the Roma.
However, little is known about how government entities, public authorities and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) address victims’ needs for safety and
legal advocacy.
Over the course of five weeks, Dr. Miller and Gabriela Wasileski
conducted in-depth interviews of two different groups: major state officials and
NGO personnel involved in providing services for battered women in order to
learn about existing programs and policies, and to learn from participants about
their efforts and obstacles they encounter when addressing violence against
women in Slovakia. They also were interested in exploring responses to violence
against women committed in ethnic communities, such as the Roma group, since
Roma women have higher risks of victimization and more limited access to state
resources, and their voices are often excluded in long-term social policy
planning. In-depth interviews were conducted with representatives from
government bodies, such as officials from the Ministry of Labor, Social Affair, and
Family and with officials from Regional offices of the Plenipotentiary of the Slovak
Government for Roma Communities, and with 15 shelter service providers,
focusing on service delivery and shelter goals.
Overall, the project offered a fascinating view of the struggles that Eastern
European countries face in addressing “new” social problems: violence against
women, and the unique needs of ethnic minorities. The researchers’ hope is that
once cultural and structural barriers are better understood using their analysis of
the interview data, their findings can be useful in formulating programs and
policies to help Slovakia develop laws, programs, and policies to combat violence
against women. The comparative nature of the project helps our global
understanding about victimization issues that vary across cultural contexts.