by Gail Whitmore

The Czech Republic, a fairly progressive nation, sadly has yet to take major strides to protect its women. Domestic violence is a borderless issue which occurs where there are people, whether couples (heterosexual or gay), families or the elderly. It often begins small, with insults, humiliation, intimidation and slapping. Many women prefer to view these incidents as “mistakes,” hoping they won’t happen again. In most cases, once it has happened it will only get worse, with the violence often including choking, punching and kicking. On average, women deal for six years with psychological and physical violence before seeking help. Many women are still in love with their partners—or at least believe that they are—and see the possibility of losing them as worse than the abuse. All too often, that love costs them their lives.

 As of April 2005, legislation dictates that any woman filing an “injunction to restrain behavior” must post CZK 50,000 in “security” with the court, an outrageous sum when one considers the salaries here. Do woman realistically have the choice to have their husbands removed? Sadly, many women choose to escape their homes, often leaving their children behind. The only real visible legal progress has been to take the decision of whether or not to press charges from the victim and to put it into the hands of the authorities. This prevents women from later dropping charges under duress from their abusers. Apart from this, the government will not help them. Nor will it assist women being hunted, as there are as yet no anti-stalking laws.In September 2005, the nonprofit organization Liga lidských práv (League of Human Rights) hosted an international conference on treatment for batterers. Some resources are available for victims, but what about the men perpetrating the violence? Germany has a number of programs; Poland and Slovakia, one apiece; the Czech Republic, none.

If you know someone who needs help, you should help him or her find a counselor and contact Liga lidských práv for further assistance. There isn’t just one way for it to end.   

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