The National Network to End Violence against Women and Domestic Violence has opened the first Intervention Women’s Fund that provides financial assistance to women-victims of violence who want to leave the violent environment. The opening and promotion of the fund took place as part of the global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” in 2017.

The idea of such a fund has existed for a long time, especially given the fact that many women-victims do not report the violence nor leave the violent relationship due to their economic situation and insufficient financial power to cover all costs. The decision to open this fund came after a donation by the previous mayor of the Municipality of Center, Andrej Zhernovski, who donated 90,000 denars to the National Network – funds reallocated from the International women’s day celebration (March 8th) in 2017. This donation is also the first donation to the Fund.

The fund is intended to help women who are victims of violence and who want to leave the violent environment. The initial assistance is aimed at providing medical documentation, specialist reports, hiring a lawyer until the moment of receiving free legal aid, as well as other urgent measures to support the woman on her way out of a violent relationship.

The National Network has developed criteria for eligibility of funding, as well as for the process of allocating the funds. The criteria are regulated in the Rulebook on means utilization from the Intervention Women’s Fund.

For fundraising purposes, in addition to the call to local government and private companies, the National Network invites all individuals who want to help women-victims of violence to donate to the following donation numbers: