Support to victims of domestic violence

Story

02 May 2025

By Platform

How the VENUS initiative helped Ms. T.S. rebuild her life in Galați County (Romania).

For nearly three decades, Ms. T.S., a 52-year-old woman from a rural village in Galați County, Romania, endured the quiet hardship of domestic violence.

Isolated from extended family and formal support networks, she lived with her abusive husband and two children: her teenage daughter and her son, T.D., who has a severe disability. The violence was constant, fuelled by alcohol and marked by physical, verbal, and psychological abuse.

Her life changed when her daughter sent a desperate email to the General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection Galați (DGASPC), fearing for the lives of her mother and brother.

The urgency in her words sparked immediate action. Accompanied by the police, a local coordinator from the “VENUS – Together for a Life in Safety!” project intervened and transported the two victims to a protected housing unit in Galați. It was the first time in years that Ms. T.S. and her son experienced safety.

From the moment they entered the protected housing unit, the change was palpable. Over the following months, Ms. T.S. received individual psychological counselling, vocational guidance, and legal assistance to prepare for divorce proceedings.

For the first time, she was supported not only emotionally but also practically, gaining the tools to reclaim control of her life. Her son, too, began the process of applying for a disability pension, supported by project staff.

The VENUS initiative now stands as a good practice from the Interreg Europe CITICESS project. Shared by the project partner Municipality of Galați, it creates a tailored, multi-dimensional approach to supporting victims of domestic violence.

In Galați County alone, it provided services to 150 individuals over a three-year period. Twenty-one of them, like Ms. T.S., also received shelter. Each beneficiary followed a personalised support path addressing psychological trauma, legal needs, and job readiness, building autonomy and restoring dignity.

Many had never held formal employment, having depended entirely on abusive partners. Through professional counselling and social work, these individuals became aware of their self-worth and potential. All 21 women who had stayed in the protected housing unit now live independently with their children.

The initiative’s impact rests on the experience and dedication of a multidisciplinary team—professionals in social work, psychology, and law, each with more than a decade of experience in the field. Their coordinated response is what makes the difference, especially for victims with complex needs.

A systemic approach to ending domestic violence

The success of this initiative lies in its structured, institutional response to domestic violence. This coordinated approach is at the heart of the CITICESS project.

By providing holistic support to disadvantaged groups, it aims to transform the landscape of social services for marginalised individuals. Rather than leaving victims to rely on fragmented or informal help, the project demonstrates how a comprehensive approach can achieve impactful change.

In Galați County, this marked the departure from traditional reliance on informal support from family or friends. Until recently, many victims in rural or marginalised communities had no idea where to turn. Isolation and fear silenced them.

By institutionalising support services—protected housing, legal aid, counselling, vocational training—and embedding them in county-level structures, VENUS has made help visible, credible, and accessible. It sends a powerful message: victims are not alone, and the system is there for them.

The VENUS initiative is coordinated nationally by ANES (The National Agency for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men) and implemented through partnerships with 42 local authorities.

Nationwide, over 4,400 victims have received assistance. A 24/7 helpline offers round-the-clock support. While many elements mirror other European initiatives, VENUS stands out for its scale, territorial reach, and integration with legal and employment services.

ANES has played a key role in enabling local authorities to develop tailored support services that respond effectively to the needs of victims.

Crucially, this good practice illustrates how targeted intervention at the local level grounded in professional expertise can spark life-changing transformation. Through the CITICESS project, it is now being shared with European partners as a replicable example of how regional collaboration, citizen-centred service design, and professional care can produce life-changing outcomes.

By rebuilding lives like that of Ms. T.S., this good practice demonstrates the power of coordinated policy, local initiative, and persistent care. It is a model that could be adapted to other European countries that are in the process of establishing mechanisms for institutional support to identified victims of domestic violence.