Source: VČP
On 18 December 2007 the Human Rights Ombudsman Dr Zdenka Čebašek-Travnik prepared the first meeting within the framework of Open Door for meetings for non-governmental organizations. Since one of her priority tasks is to promote measures for decreasing different forms of violence in all segments of the society, she discussed this topic with the representatives of non-governmental organizations, which deal with the issue. Nine non-governmental organizations and one public institute responded. Among other, they also talked about possible forms of cooperation between non-governmental organizations and the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia.
They welcomed the preparation of the act on violence prevention, which will provide the legal basis for uniform interpretation, operation and actions, and regretted that there would still not be a family code for quite some time. They agreed that the protocols on actions of services and individuals concerning the measures in case of violence should be clearly defined and prepared for all segments of the society, and the legislator has to implement them into the planned legislation, mutatis mutandis, and also invite the expert and interested public to the preparation of protocols. The participants at the meeting pointed out that all adopted legislation cannot help if there are no appropriate education programmes for all who are actively engaged in the field of violence. They also pointed out that the non-violence education should be included in various educational programmes.
They pointed to some media exposed topics, the main theme of which was violence or violation of children’s rights, also by disclosing the identity of minor children. They agreed that the media could play a strong role in decreasing the violence in the society, therefore additional expert training would be suitable for them as well.
Non-governmental organizations as well as the Ombudsman perceive Internet as the place of communication possibilities but also as the place of more and more frequent abuse, and determine the lack of appropriate national and international mechanisms for abuse regulation.
The participants at the meeting highlighted three main violence generators: poverty (unemployment), all forms of addiction and discrimination, and emphasized the urgency to create a strategy for decreasing violence in the society. They all agreed that the lack of vision for taking action in this field also reflects in unsuitable time limit of tenders for programmes to decrease violence and consequently financing sources of non-government organizations’ activities - which threatens the activity of non-governmental organizations and discourages younger experts to work in this field.
