Violence Against Women in Intimate Relationship - The Importance of Support from Close Relatives, Friends and Professional Helpers

V magistrskem delu predstavljam pomen podpore bližnjih in stroke za ženske, ki so žrtve nasilja v partnerskem razmerju. V teoretičnem delu sem predstavila nasilje na splošno, vrste nasilja, intimnopartnersko nasilje, pomen podpore bližnjih in stroke, dolžnost prijave nasilja in komunikacijo z žrtvami nasilja. V raziskavi sem se osredinila na čas, ko je ženska v nasilnem razmerju oz. v postopku prekinitve, ki je polno negotovosti in nevarnosti, zato je podpora ženske bistvenega pomena. Magistrsko delo temelji na pripovedih in zgodbah žensk, ki so bile žrtve nasilja v partnerskem nasilju. Zanimalo me je, kakšna čustva so jih spremljala, ko so se odločile spregovoriti o nasilju, pomisleki, ki so jih imele, komu so povedale o nasilju in zakaj, kakšno pomoč so potrebovale od bližnjih in od strokovnjakov, s katerimi so imele stik. Kakšen bi bil zanje idealen odziv družbe na nasilje in kaj bi želele sporočiti bližnjim osebam, ki doživljajo nasilje, in strokovnjakom, ki se pri svojem delu srečujejo z žrtvami nasilja. Ugotovila sem, da imajo žrtve nasilja, preden o nasilju spregovorijo, mnoge strahove in pomisleke, saj menijo, da je družba še vedno premalo občutljiva na nasilje, obsoja žrtve in se ne odzove. Žrtve najpogosteje zaupajo staršem, otrokom, prijateljem, sodelavcem in tudi sorojencem, od njih pa želijo podporo in sprejemanje, predvsem pa to, da jim verjamejo. Enako si želijo tudi od strokovnjakov, na katere se obrnejo po pomoč. Nemalokrat se zgodi, da naletijo na odziv, ki povzroči negativna čustva, globoke bolečine, žrtve pa velikokrat odvrne, da bi ponovno spregovorile o nasilju. Zato je pomemben pravi odziv, ki žrtvam da sprejemanje, razumevanje in moč, da se lahko borijo naprej.In my master\u27s thesis I\u27m introducing the importance of support from close relatives, friends and professional helpers for women in abusive relationships. In theory, I presented abuse in general, types of abuse, intimate relationship abuse, meaning of support from people close to the victims of abuse and support from professionals as well as the duty to communicate with the victim and report any kind of abuse. I focused on the time when a woman is in an abusive relationship or is in the process of a break up where support is crucial for her. A time which can be dangerous and full of insecurities. My master\u27s thesis is based on stories of women, who were victims of abuse in intimate relationships. I was especially interested in their emotions, when was the right time for them to speak up about the abuse and the hesitation that accompanied them, who was the person they told first and why make them choose them, what kind of help they needed from their close ones and other experts. I was also interested in what would be an ideal response of society for them, what would be the victims message to others with similar experiences and to the professionals, which encounter victims with abusive relationships. In my findings, victims of abuse have a lot of fears and second thoughts before they speak out. They think that the society is still insensitive and unresponsive to abuse and judgemental towards the victims. Victims of abuse usually reach out first to their parents, children, friends, coworkers and even siblings. They seek support, acceptance and belief. They want the same from experts, with which they cooperate. Often they receive responses that cause negative emotions, pain, which can discourage them to speak of the abuse. That is why the right response is important, not only for their acceptance and understanding, but also to give them strength