The first specialised centre for victims of sexual violence in the Czech Republic, the PORT Centre in Prague, has provided help and support for more than 1,000 clients in its first year of operation, according to Jitka Polakova, head of the ProFem organisation which operates the centre, at a press conference yesterday.
The share of men among the clients has been gradually increasing, making up about one-tenth, she added.
The specialist centre in the Prague-Brevnov district began operating on 24 January last year. It offers crisis assistance, treatment, counselling and therapy as well as providing lawyers and emergency accommodation.
“The centre is fully operational. It has found a large target group using it. In a year, 1,037 clients have contacted us. We made 4,100 interventions, an average of four per client,” said Polakova.
She added that the centre is sought out not only by sexual violence victims, but also by their relatives. The men who come to PORT include not only relatives, but also those in need of crisis support and therapy.
In the Czech Republic, 54% of women have experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence, according to a recent survey of 5,000 women.
Government Human Rights Commissioner Klara Simackova Laurencikova said such centres should be available in every region. Victim assistance services are largely funded by European funds and Norway Grants, and it is necessary to ensure sustainable and stable funding from the state budget, she added.
Upon arrival at the centre, a crisis intervention worker talks to the client to map out what help is needed. This is followed by targeted support and the choice of counselling, therapy and possible legal representation. An interview room is also available, and the police can be contacted remotely. All the staff of the centre are women.
The annual cost of the centre’s operation is CZK 23 million.
About one-third of the centre’s clients used legal aid last year. The consultancy covers not only family matters such as possible separation from a violent partner, divorce, or childcare, but also criminal matters. Lawyers drafted criminal complaints for one-tenth of the clients, while 5% of the women decided to file it then and contacted the police.
According to research, only about 5% of rapes in the country are reported to the police. Over 900 such acts were reported in 2023, Simackova Laurencikova said earlier.
The establishment of specialised centres for victims of sexual violence is included in the national strategy for gender equality by 2030, which was approved by the previous government of Andrej Babis (ANO) in the spring of 2021. The centres should open in four large cities.
