In winter, crisis centers for victims of domestic violence in Almaty are almost 98% full, said Zulfiya Baysakova, chairperson of the board of the Union of Crisis Centers, as reported by Informburo.
"If a victim of domestic violence could run out of the house in the summer, survive somewhere in a barn or on a bench in the park, then in the winter she cannot be on the street with her children, and turns to crisis centers. In the winter, they are almost 98% full, in the summer – much less," Baysakova said at a briefing at the RSK.
The Almaty Police Department does not observe seasonality in calls. It is only noted that the victims of domestic violence are mainly women aged 30 to 40. Baysakova added that older women are also subjected to beatings.
"Over seven years, we have had 12 elderly women who have become victims of violence from children, from their sons. This month, two children were born in the crisis center. There are cases when they do not yet have children and are not pregnant, but they understand that it is impossible to live with this person because of the cruel treatment. It is difficult to describe who is most often the victim of domestic violence," said Baysakova.
Men also suffer from domestic violence – in 25 years of work, about 2% of victims in Baysakova's practice were men. She explained that, as a rule, they become victims of domestic violence as a result of misunderstanding.
"They are subjected to psychological violence. There are cases of physical violence, but, as a rule, these are either brothers or sisters. Rarely are there wives. There was one case when a wife beat her husband. We conduct legal consultations, provide psychological support," explained the chairwoman of the board of the "Union of Crisis Centers."
It's true that such men are not provided with shelter.
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