Violence against women in Belgrade, Serbia: SOS Hotline 1990-1993.

The findings of a study conducted on violence against women by the staff at the SOS Hotline for Women and Children Victims of Violence in Belgrade, Serbia, is reported in this paper. For each call reporting an incident of violence, a data form was completed with the details of the call. Findings revealed that almost all callers were victims of violence from family members or intimate partners (94%). Many reported incidents of physical, verbal, and emotional violence (70.0%), while only few reported sexual and economic violence. Furthermore, the frequency and duration of violence were very high. Callers were often forced to live with perpetrators because of the lack of available housing, which was worsened due to privatization, economic sanctions against Serbia, and the influx of refugees. Men involved in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia had increased their violent tendency against women at home, especially those cases of sons beating their mothers. Lastly, most refugees were housed in private homes, resulting in increased violence against women refugees and women hosts.