SAFE HOUSE OPENED IN VRANJE

23. March 2015.

Vranje – The US Ambassador to Serbia, Michael Kirby, officially opened a safe house for women and children victims of domestic violence, which is located near Vranje.

The US Army European Command, through the US Embassy’s Office for Army Cooperation, invested 213,000 dollars in the construction of the safe house.

The construction works began in August 2014 and they were carried out under the supervision of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

The safe house has the capacity of providing shelter to 25 victims of domestic violence from Pcinj district.

The project was implemented in partnership with the B92 Fund, as part of a national campaign undertaken in order to raise public awareness about the problem of domestic violence and to provide a safe house for victims of domestic violence.

The town of Vranje provided the location, all the necessary utility connections and the employees of the safe house, while the B92 Fund found the donors that equipped the facility.

“The house will start operating in a few days. Thanks to the facility, we will expand the social protection plan in the territory of the city. By this safe house, we definitely set the standards for other local self-governments. It will be good if the house remains empty, although it has started operating. That's the whole point of the story”, said Zoran Antic, the Mayor of Vranje, at the opening event.
The project is an excellent example of cooperation between the government, the NGOs and the private sector, which joined together at the local level in the fight against serious global problems, such as domestic violence, it was stated by the US Embassy.

“I agree with the Mayor that it would be good if there were no women in the house. On the other hand, I’m pleased that this building has been built very well and that it exists. Without the partnership with the B92 Fund and the local self-government, this house wouldn’t have been here. I noticed that during the construction of the facility, you took care of the environment and I’m very pleased about it. The heating boiler uses the pellet, while hot water would soon be delivered from the nearby hot-water springs. The facility is, thus, the combination of the beautiful and useful, and the fact is that the town cares about the environmental protection”, Ambassador Kirby said.

The event of the opening of the safe house near Vranje was attended by Veran Matic, the Manager of the B92 Fund, too. The building occupies about 300 square meters.

In the past, women and children victims of domestic violence were cared for at the Centre for the Development of Social Care Services in Vranje. Last year alone, a total of 81 persons were accommodated there. Of those, 43 were women and 37children.

Source: OK Radio and Coordination Body