Representatives of the Association for Supporting Victims Bijeli krug of Croatia from Split were in the study visit to IZ KRUGA VOJVODINA, Novi Sad, on August 30, 2023, with the support by the Ecumenical Women’s Initiative from Omis.
On behalf of Bijeli krug of Croatia, the meeting was attended by the president Livija Plančić, a legal advisor Mariana Crnogorac Mikulić, a counselor in work with victims Tin Plančić and a psychologist Paula Herceg, and the guests were received by the executive director Svjetlana Timotić, a program manager and an editor of the Disability Portal Veronika Mitro, and a technical secretary Suzana Beloš.
Representatives of the two organizations presented their activities and exchanged experiences of working on the protection of gender-based violence.
The Association Bijeli krug of Croatia was founded in 2011. in Split. The main goal of the Association is to contribute to the protection of victims of criminal acts and misdemeanors with elements of violence, regardless of age and gender, with special emphasis on the protection of victims of domestic violence but also on the protection of other marginalized groups. Bijeli krug provides legal, psychological, and emotional assistance, performs individual treatments with victims aiming to reduce secondary victimization, holds workshops for empowering victims, cooperates with relevant institutional and other civil society organizations stakeholders in order to improve the position of victims, and carries out projects to prevent violence among children and young. In addition, Bijeli krug of Croatia realizes the program of psychosocial treatment of the perpetrators of domestic violence referred by the Magistrates Court Split. Bijeli krug of Croatia has excellent cooperation and is a full member of the umbrella European organization for providing support to victims and witnesses of criminal acts – Victim Support Europe.
Representatives from IZ KRUGA VOJVODINA presented their experiences in working with women with and without disabilities exposed to gender-based violence and informed the representatives of the Bijeli krug of Croatia organization about the programs of work with perpetrators in Serbia, especially the activities of the National Network for Work with Perpetrators of Violence – OPNA.
Furthermore, participants discussed the possibilities of future cooperation on European projects and a study visit of IZ KRUGA VOJVODINA to Bijeli krug of Croatia.
