Domestic Violence

Find a Domestic Violence Shelter

"After I left the house, I went to the police to see if they could find a place for me to stay. They didn't make a report or even fine my husband. My children are scared and since I left, he follows me to work and threatens me in front of my boss. I can't keep working there, I have to get away. I don't want my daughter to go through the same thing. No one listened to me until now."
- Woman in shelter (location not listed for confidentiality)

FAIR Fund and Mladi Most bring V-Day Campaign to Bosnia in 2004!

FAIR Fund and local partner, Mladi Most bring the award-winning play, The Vagina Monologues to Bosnia. Young women from Mostar, Bosnia have prepared a traveling company of actresses to perform the play in support of Women's Day on March 8th. "Women need to see this play because so many are discriminated against and don't understand the beauty of womanhood. Our society needs this play to show women the strength their bodies and minds can have in changing war-torn Bosnia,' says coordinator Ana Marincic.

The play openned this March in Mostar and ran until May. The campaign brought women's and youth groups together to think of news ways to combat violence against women in Bosnia. Mladi Most and FAIR Fund took the play’s message of non-violence and women's rights to four cities, Bihac, Banja Luka, Mostar, and Zencica. Women and men in all cities worked together on the campaign, regardless of national, religious, and political backgrounds, to strive for diversity and equality. The campaign focused specifically on young women to encourage them to think about their role in a non-violent society for Bosnia.

Violence and sexual abuse of women and girls in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a pervasive, yet under-recognized, human rights violation. Unfortunately, sexual abuse happens much more often than it is written or spoken about. One of the major problems regarding this issue is that domestic violence is not legally defined in any Bosnian law, regulation or police statement. As a general rule, women in Bosnia and Herzegovina refrain from reporting cases of violence and sexual abuse because Bosnian society is strongly patriarchal and,in most cases, views the problem of violence as a very private thing. Thousands of women in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina are living and accepting violence day-by-day in their lives because they do not have any proper means to fight it. They often feel ashamed and cast aside from society. They are aware that if they try to speak out or to find help, their community or family could condemn them. Roots for this kind of behavior can be found in a societal structure that does not allow women and young girls to build self-confidence and discover their roles. Women are very much aware that we are living in a world in which they do not feel safe because they know that at any moment in their lives they may become victims of sexual abuse and discrimination.

What is Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a pattern of abuse perpetrated by an individual in order to maintain power and control over another person, and can include emotional, physical, sexual, and economic domination. Battering has occurred throughout human history to women of every culture, race, class, age and sexual orientation.

Stop Violence!
No society is void of domestic violence and abuse. But, in countries where violence has been a part of daily life, woman are traumatized and left without the resources and legislation to assist them in escaping and prosecuting their violator. In order for a woman to successfully free herself from violence, she must have the support mechanisms and legal backing to defend herself. If politicians and policemen are not informed about women's rights, they won't simply will not be able to stop the perpetrator. In fact, it is often the case that the women are cited for making a disturbance by involving the police. In post-war societies, the legal mechanisms are not there to send the violators to prison. In many rural areas women have nowhere to go if they do leave. They must completely change their life, and that of their children, in order to be free. Therefore, a select few women's shelters and FAIR Fund advocate stopping the violence. By educating both women and their societies about domestic violence, these women's shelters have saved countless lives.

What is a domestic violence hot-line?
Many abused women feel alone and scared. They don't know with whom to talk, or if their information can be kept secret. They fear the retaliation of their aggressor if they seek to leave or get help. Some even come to think they deserve the abuse. Through effective campaign outreach, women now have begun to use hot-line call centers to talk about their problems. For many, it will take several calls before they feel ready to meet in person or leave their family or partners. For some, the danger is so great, that they need immediate help to escape. Hot-line volunteers are ready to take these calls twenty-four hours a day. They listen, advocate the victims' safety, and sometimes will plan an escape. In the case of rape, these volunteers will go with the woman to the doctor to support her in the process of recording the rape. This is imperative in a society where the problem of domestic violence is often not recognized or dealt with to the benefit of the victim. Women need to know that these safe, confidential hot lines are there for their support. The only way for them to know that they exist is through effective outreach and campaigning.

for more information on Hot-line Projects, contact info@fairfund.org