Within the scope of the International Days for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a roundtable discussion on Violence against older women exists was held at the City Hall, which we organised together with the Ljubljana Home Care Institute.

Violence against older women is an often-overlooked social problem that demands more attention. It includes physical, psychological, sexual and economic abuse and neglect, and the perpetrators are often people from the immediate circle, such as family members or caregivers, which makes it difficult to identify and report violence. Raising public awareness about the rights of the elderly and the available sources of help is essential, as is training for caregivers to prevent unintentional forms of neglect or violence, which often arise out of being overwhelmed or uninformed.

The City of Ljubljana pays special attention to violence against women and actively cooperates with NGOs and other organisations working in this field, which contribute significantly to raising awareness and identifying and reducing violence against women. Our main task is to ensure stable funding and encourage the development of new NGO programs at the local level. Through public tenders, we co-finance various programs aimed at women and children who are victims of violence (crisis and safe accommodation for women and children, counselling centres for victims of violence, telephone counselling line). This year, the European Commission presented us with the Gold Award for our work in promoting diversity and inclusion and protecting women. We won first place in a special award for local authorities that, by addressing violence against women, make places, cities and regions safe for women in all their diversity.