At the “Surviving Violence – Consequences to Psychological and Physical Health of Domestic Violence and Trafficking Victims” panel, that was organized by ASTRA – Action against Trafficking, on November 15th 2016, at Dom Omladine, it was concluded that women are most frequent victims of trafficking and domestic violence, and also that prejudices associated with these two social phenomena are very similar and that it’s essential to talk about them and find adequate means to support and protect victims. Tanja Ignjatovic, from the Autonomous Women’s Center, noted that in relation to domestic violence, statistics show that it’s mostly directed against women, children, elderly and infirm. In 2015, 1778 people were convicted of domestic violence, out of which only 6% were women. There were no women convicted in relation to sex crimes. Jovana Krotic, from ASTRA, noted that women are more frequently victims of trafficking, especially in the aim of sexual exploitation, while contributing factors may be found in previous violent victimization or poverty. Psychotherapist Biljana Slavkovic confirmed these facts, noting that women make up 87% of trafficking victims, while in 90% of all cases, people who were trafficked have previous experiences of violence in earlier life.
Panelists also noted that it’s important to talk about these social phenomena because overcoming prejudice is key to providing adequate support and protection. One of the most common prejudices is based in the belief that the victim herself/himself is responsible for the situation they found themselves in, and that she/he should have acted differently and found some way out.
Slobodan Savic, a professor at the Medical Faculty and a Court Expert, talked about judicial medicine in relation to documenting criminal acts for court cases. He gave an overview of physical injuries victims sustain and noted that these injuries can tell us a lot about the violence committed, but that it’s very important to know what one is looking for and whether they want to find it. He also noted that faulty medical documentation has frequently been the reason why certain criminal cases with violent elements were not proven in court.
Most of the audience for this panel was made up of students, as well as psychology, social work, pedagogy and law experts. In the coming period there will be a publication of a booklet containing information discussed at the panel, and which could be beneficial to all who come into contact with domestic violence and trafficking in their everyday lives or through their professions.
