In January, there were nearly 668 calls at the 0800.500.333 helpline, intended for victims of domestic violence, gender discrimination and human trafficking, the data of the National Agency for Equal Opportunities (Anes) shows.
Family violence cases should be reported to authorities. Photo: Shutterstock
Of these, only 453 were taken over, the rest being either too short to be managed or lost because the operators were busy with other calls.
The 453 calls taken, from the point of view of the field for which the telephone line was called, were classified as follows:
– 180 calls in the field of domestic violence (account of acts of violence, information on shelters for the victims of domestic violence/aggressors, telephone line, information on the aggressor shelters, etc.)
– 2 calls in the field of human trafficking;
– 1 call in the field of gender equality;
– 4 calls in the field of sexual violence – a context other than domestic violence;
– 2 calls in the field of harassment at work;
– 264 calls another domain/were not within the competence of ANES.
Most calls came directly from the victims, followed by witnesses of the incidents.
Regarding the types of abuse reported, verbal and psychological violence dominates statistics, with over 140 cases, followed by physical violence (100 calls) and other forms such as economic, social or cyber violence.
Although the aid line is free and available non-stop, the figures show that not all calls receive the necessary answer, either due to the high volume or the limited resources.
“In January, at the phone line 0800 500 333, 668 calls were received, which reports a continuous need for support and assistance to cope with a problem that affects many women in Romania. Each call to this Helpline is an essential step in supporting those who are at risk. I encourage women to ask for support, to know that they are not alone. We created 42 protected homes, one for each county, vocational support and counseling groups, a network of services to be extended. Also, in the next period we set out to make campaigns through which the Helpline is as known as possible, so that we can support as many women and girls from Romania ”said Luminița Popescu, secretary of state in Anes.
“The national telephone line 0800 500 333 is a permanent service, managed by ANES since 2015, provided 24/24 hours, 7/7 days. The number is free call from any network with national coverage. The call to the telephone line for specialized help can be done by the potential victim/victim of domestic violence, human trafficking, gender discrimination or multiple discrimination, a parent or other family member, a person in relatives /Affine, a neighbor or a acquaintance of the family, either by a witness or another person who knows about the existence of a case in this category ”, it is mentioned in the statement of the institution.
