Despite the ratification in 2018 of the so-called Istanbul Convention to combat violence against women and domestic assault, the State Audit Office recently concluded that North Macedonia’s institutions are “not effective enough” in preventing violence and protecting victims as envisaged by the convention. It found that the number of shelter beds for women victims is nearly three times lower than required, while implementation of prevention measures and relevant legislation is lagging.
Ana Avramovska-Nushkova, project coordinator at the National Network Against Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, an umbrella association uniting some 20 NGOs, explains that behind every femicide lies a series of overlooked dangers.
“When examining a femicide, the most severe form of gender-based violence, we must take into account how the situation reached that outcome. There are always warning signs and risks beforehand,” she told BIRN. According to her, the tragic outcomes often expose the deepest systemic failures.
One fundamental issue, she noted, is that society still struggles to acknowledge domestic violence in all its forms. “Sexual violence by an intimate partner or spouse is rarely recognised, and it is one of the least reported forms,” she explained.
Stigma, traditional attitudes and patriarchal norms in North Macedonia’s society frequently silence women victims, preventing them from reporting abuse, she added.
Failed by the system
Even when a woman does seek help, the system often fails her. Proper risk assessment is critical, and, “if we skip steps there, very often the victim will withdraw the report [on domestic violence] and it may be registered only as a complaint”.
While numerous training courses are offered to institutions in order to be able to recognise such cases and act properly to prevent tragedies and protect victims, the results still fall short of what is needed, she said.
Equally troubling is the lack of coordination among institutions that are supposed to be on the frontline in tackling this issue; social work centres, the police and public prosecutors.
Many officials “do not recognise or do not know how to process violence, or simply consider it not within their responsibility”. Teachers, healthcare workers and doctors are often the first to notice signs of abuse, Avramovska-Nushkova noted.
Prevention, she argued, remains the most neglected area. Only a small portion of planned prevention activities have been implemented, including the development of standard training modules for professionals in education, healthcare, industry and the public sector. This training would not only address gender-based violence but also the broader need for gender equality, she suggested.
Victims get minimal support