Translation of the leaflet into English:


Dear Madam or Sir! 

We urge you to support our requirements and with this contribute to the establishment of the comprehensive and coordinated system of assistance to victims of family violence.

Non-governmental organizations and other organizations, who work in the field of prevention of violence against women and family violence, are witnessing numerous problems that the victims are facing in practice. One of more problematic areas is legislation from the field of preventing family violence, this is the way we gather and harmonize ours proposals and develop requirements for the necessary legislative changes that are resulting from our practice of working with victims of family violence.

For illustrating the issue we indicate some data from the study by Dr. Jasna Podreka on intimate partner murders of women in Slovenia[1]. These murders are representing a final result and are as a rule in long-lasting partner violence against his partner. The most serious risk factor for intimate partner murders of women is previous intimate partner violence against his partner.

In more than half of the cases (58 % or 14 out of 24) of intimate partner murders and attempts of murder, where the victims were female, was the female partner in different periods of time leaving the partner or the relationship was already finished for some time (from several months to more than one year) . 

In majority of cases (79 % or 19 out of 24) the convicted partner threatened his partner several times with death and terrified her with it. In approximately two-thirds of cases (63% or 15 out of 24) the perpetrators of crime did in different ways and for a long time stalk the victims. In almost one third of cases (29% or 7 out of 24) children were witnesses to the murder or the attempt of murder of their mother, most children (6 out of 7) were a minor.

Femicide is not an isolated event, which occurs suddenly and unexpectedly. It is the final act of violence in the process of violence. Dr. Jasna Podreka in her study concluded that these murders must not be seen as isolated incidents or accidents that occur suddenly, due to the current outbreak of rage or passion in otherwise non-violent individuals, but as a rule they are the final act in a continuum of violence in intimate partner relationships.

1. Minors need to be specifically protected or ex officio prosecution should be initiated, whenever a crime against them has signs of violence.
2. We require mandatory inclusion of convicted perpetrators against sexual integrity from the Chapter 19 in the Article 191 Family violence of the Penal Code (KZ-1), and neglect of minors and cruel treatment under Article 192 of the Penal Code (KZ-1) in the programs of work with perpetrators of violence.
3. It is not sufficient for the protection of victims, that the court security measure of restraining order is banned without approaching or communicating with the victim. Not only to identify specific ways of prohibited forms of communication or determine the prohibited forms of socializing, but should define all.
4. The dynamics between persons in intimate partner relationship is the same as in the family, the same are the consequences of violence that are perpetrated by one person against another, because of this all intimate partner relationships should be included as an offense Family violence.
5. We require that the legal character "in the purpose of exploitation" is omitted from the description of the offense Human trafficking, and also includes as one of the forms of human trafficking forced marriage.
6. We agree with the proposal of the Government, that the offense Threat in Article 135 of the Penal Code (KZ-1) is again persecuted on the proposal.
7. We require that stalking is defined as an independent offense.
8. We require that the disclosure of the locations of safe houses, crisis centres and other safe shelters is defined as an independent offense.
9. We require compliance of the provisions of the Penal Code on offenses against sexual integrity with the provisions of the Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography.
10. We require an amendment for the offense of family violence that will better reflect the situation in real life.

Whole document with all the amendments can be found on: http://goo.gl/ZU2xcb.

Signed organizations:

Association SOS help-line for women and victims of violence; Maja Plaz, president

Association for Non-violent communication; Katja Zabukovec Kerin, president

Society Ključ – Centre for Fight against Trafficking in Human Being; Katjuša Popović, president

Social Work Centre Maribor (Mothers house Maribor, Consulting for victims of violence and abuses Maribor); Frančiška Premzel, v.d. director

Institute EMMA; Dževada Popaja, director

Association regional safe house Celje; Suzi Kvas, president

Association life without violence; Natalija Petakovič, president

Association for help to women and children of violence Safe house of Gorenjska; mag. Vilma Regovc, program manager

Association Ženska svetovalnica; Lucija Užmah, president

Legal-Informational Centre for NGO’s- PIC; Katarina Bervar Sternad, director

[1] Podreka, Jasna, 2013. Violence against women and intimate partner murders in Slovenia. Doctoral thesis. Ljubljana: Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana.

Translation of the leaflet into English:


Dear Madam or Sir! 

We urge you to support our requirements and with this contribute to the establishment of the comprehensive and coordinated system of assistance to victims of family violence.

Non-governmental organizations and other organizations, who work in the field of prevention of violence against women and family violence, are witnessing numerous problems that the victims are facing in practice. One of more problematic areas is legislation from the field of preventing family violence, this is the way we gather and harmonize ours proposals and develop requirements for the necessary legislative changes that are resulting from our practice of working with victims of family violence.

For illustrating the issue we indicate some data from the study by Dr. Jasna Podreka on intimate partner murders of women in Slovenia[1]. These murders are representing a final result and are as a rule in long-lasting partner violence against his partner. The most serious risk factor for intimate partner murders of women is previous intimate partner violence against his partner.

In more than half of the cases (58 % or 14 out of 24) of intimate partner murders and attempts of murder, where the victims were female, was the female partner in different periods of time leaving the partner or the relationship was already finished for some time (from several months to more than one year) . 

In majority of cases (79 % or 19 out of 24) the convicted partner threatened his partner several times with death and terrified her with it. In approximately two-thirds of cases (63% or 15 out of 24) the perpetrators of crime did in different ways and for a long time stalk the victims. In almost one third of cases (29% or 7 out of 24) children were witnesses to the murder or the attempt of murder of their mother, most children (6 out of 7) were a minor.

Femicide is not an isolated event, which occurs suddenly and unexpectedly. It is the final act of violence in the process of violence. Dr. Jasna Podreka in her study concluded that these murders must not be seen as isolated incidents or accidents that occur suddenly, due to the current outbreak of rage or passion in otherwise non-violent individuals, but as a rule they are the final act in a continuum of violence in intimate partner relationships.

Organizations signed below sent the requirements in the document with the amendments to the Act Amending the Penal Code (KZ-1), EVA 2014-2030-0005 to the Ministry of Justice: 

1. Minors need to be specifically protected or ex officio prosecution should be initiated, whenever a crime against them has signs of violence.
2. We require mandatory inclusion of convicted perpetrators against sexual integrity from the Chapter 19 in the Article 191 Family violence of the Penal Code (KZ-1), and neglect of minors and cruel treatment under Article 192 of the Penal Code (KZ-1) in the programs of work with perpetrators of violence.
3. It is not sufficient for the protection of victims, that the court security measure of restraining order is banned without approaching or communicating with the victim. Not only to identify specific ways of prohibited forms of communication or determine the prohibited forms of socializing, but should define all.
4. The dynamics between persons in intimate partner relationship is the same as in the family, the same are the consequences of violence that are perpetrated by one person against another, because of this all intimate partner relationships should be included as an offense Family violence.
5. We require that the legal character "in the purpose of exploitation" is omitted from the description of the offense Human trafficking, and also includes as one of the forms of human trafficking forced marriage.
6. We agree with the proposal of the Government, that the offense Threat in Article 135 of the Penal Code (KZ-1) is again persecuted on the proposal.
7. We require that stalking is defined as an independent offense.
8. We require that the disclosure of the locations of safe houses, crisis centres and other safe shelters is defined as an independent offense.
9. We require compliance of the provisions of the Penal Code on offenses against sexual integrity with the provisions of the Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography.
10. We require an amendment for the offense of family violence that will better reflect the situation in real life.

Whole document with all the amendments can be found on: http://goo.gl/ZU2xcb.

Signed organizations:

Association SOS help-line for women and victims of violence; Maja Plaz, president

Association for Non-violent communication; Katja Zabukovec Kerin, president

Society Ključ – Centre for Fight against Trafficking in Human Being; Katjuša Popović, president

Social Work Centre Maribor (Mothers house Maribor, Consulting for victims of violence and abuses Maribor); Frančiška Premzel, v.d. director

Institute EMMA; Dževada Popaja, director

Association regional safe house Celje; Suzi Kvas, president

Association life without violence; Natalija Petakovič, president

Association for help to women and children of violence Safe house of Gorenjska; mag. Vilma Regovc, program manager

Association Ženska svetovalnica; Lucija Užmah, president

Legal-Informational Centre for NGO’s- PIC; Katarina Bervar Sternad, director

[1] Podreka, Jasna, 2013. Violence against women and intimate partner murders in Slovenia. Doctoral thesis. Ljubljana: Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana.