Kosice March Calls for Stronger Protection for Domestic Abuse Victims

Kosice/Bratislava, 7 July (TASR) - An informal community of women from Kosice organised a march titled Home Safely in the city centre on Tuesday evening to show support for victims of domestic abuse and call for specific systemic reforms to improve their protection, one of the organisers Jana Karabinos Fignarova informed TASR. She said that 46 women had been killed by their partners in recent years, with the latest case being the murder of teacher Zuzana from Gelnica. "Her story showed that this was not the failure of an individual, but of a system that is meant to protect the most vulnerable," she said. Most participants wore black as a sign of solidarity. At the Immaculate statue on Hlavna Street, they lit 46 candles in a symbolic tribute. "We are not protesting against anyone. We have come to demand measures that already work elsewhere in Europe and save lives," she said, citing measures such as removing perpetrators from the family home, improving risk assessments for victims at risk, GPS monitoring of the most dangerous offenders, and ensuring protection for victims when offenders are released from custody. Zuzana V. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] died in Gelnica on 20 June after being attacked by her husband. He has been charged with the aggravated crime of murder and remains in pre-trial detention. mf