Act No. 274/2017 Coll. on Victims of Crime establishes a system of support and protection for victims, with an emphasis on persons exposed to violence or the threat of violence, particularly in close relationships (e.g., intimate partner violence, domestic violence). A key element of this system is intervention centres, which operate as professional regional workplaces and provide comprehensive assistance to persons at risk.
Role and Mission of Intervention Centres
Intervention centres are specialised facilities that provide immediate, coordinated, and professional assistance to persons at risk of violence. Their work is based on the principles of dignity, confidentiality, voluntariness, and an individual approach.
The primary objective of the centre is to break the cycle of violence, stabilise the situation of the victim, and facilitate access to services that support their safety, psychological well-being, and social inclusion.
The help that an intervention centre can provide to an endangered person includes the following forms:
1. Professional Social Counselling
Intervention centres provide support, guidance, and information on options for resolving the situation. They assists in addressing the consequences of violence and social isolation and helps restore psychological and social stability. They also cooperate with child protection authorities, the police, the prosecution, and courts.
2. Psychological Counselling and Crisis Intervention
This includes psychological support, crisis intervention, or referral to specialised psychological assistance, as well as help with coping with trauma, stress, and fears related to violence.
3. Legal Information and Basic Legal Assistance
Provision of information on the rights of victims and available legal protections, assistance with motions for barring or restraining orders (e.g., ban on entry into the household, restraining orders, and other protective measures) and related court proceedings and support with filing criminal reports or motions to remove the abusive person from shared household.
4. Assistance in Contacting Authorities and Institutions
If necessary, accompanies the person during interactions with the police, courts, medical professionals, and government offices and facilitates communication with other assistance providers (e.g., women’s shelters, emergency housing facilities, counselling centres).
5. Safety planning and shelters
Intervention cnetres help assess the risk of further or more severe violence and collaborates in creating a safety plan for the victim to reduce the risk of serious harm or death due to ongoing violence. They assist the victim with placement in safe accommodation (e.g., women’s shelters).
6. Coordination of Assistance
Intervention centres act as a coordinating point between the police, social services, healthcare, and courts and ensures that the assistance provided to the victim is comprehensive and effective.
7. Free of Charge Assistance
All assistance provided by the intervention centre is free and confidential.
According to Sections 10 and 11 of Act No. 274/2017 Coll., an intervention centre provides the vulnarable person at risk primarily with:
Professional social counselling – help in addressing the consequences of violence, social isolation, and restoring independence.
It also provides psychological counselling and crisis intervention — support in coping with trauma, stress, and the psychological consequences of violence — as well as basic legal information and legal assistance, including explaining legal options and offering support when filing a criminal report or a petition for a barring or protective order.
Equally important is assistance in contacting authorities and institutions — accompanying and representing the client in communication with the police, courts, public offices, or social service providers. It offers help in ensuring safety and housing — developing a safety plan, facilitating access to safe accommodation, and cooperating with crisis centres — and coordinates support by connecting relevant actors (police, social services, healthcare, prosecutors, non-governmental organisations) to ensure effective protection of the victim.
Principles of Assistance Provision
The assistance provided by the intervention centre is free of charge, professional, and confidential.
The centre acts in a way that respects the will and needs of the victim, minimises secondary victimisation, and supports the client’s long-term stability and independence.
Conclusion
Intervention centres play a key role in the system of protection for victims of intimate partner and domestic violence. They integrate social, psychological, and legal support into a unified, coordinated approach. Their activities contribute not only to the immediate protection of the victim but also to the prevention of further violence and increased awareness of victims’ rights under criminal law.
Activities of Fenestra Counselling and Intervention Centre in 2025 are supported by the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic through the grant program for providing professional assistance to victims of crime, the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic within the grant for promoting gender equality and equal opportunities, and the Košice Self-Governing Region.
Fenestra bears sole responsibility for the content of this article.
