The graduation thesis examines the role of professionals active in the field of domestic violence, with an emphasis on intimate partner relationships. In the theoretical introduction, I first provide a general definition of violence, and then I define intimate partner violence in more detail. I list the most common characteristics of this type of violence. I also describe the common forms of violence that occur. Next, I describe the myths, stereotypes and beliefs that appear in society, among perpetrators and victims of violence, and in institutions that deal with violence. I present the role of social welfare centres and non-governmental organizations when they find out about a particular domestic violence situation. At the end of the theoretical introduction, I describe how the collaboration with other authorities is conducted. Relevant legislation is used throughout the thesis. The most often quoted piece of legislation herein is the Act on the Prevention of Domestic Violence. I performed a qualitative research by conducting semi-structured interviews with seven female professionals who had been working in the field of domestic violence for at least one year. Two of the respondents are employees of the Social Welfare Centre of Ljubljana, two of them work at the SOS Help-Line Association and three of them are employed at the Association for Nonviolent Communication. The data was then processed qualitatively and the results were presented. The discussion part of the thesis connects the findings with relevant literature. The research showed that professionals play an extremely important role in working with victims of violence. They work with them from the very beginning: when the victims confide in them, when they encourage the victims to report the violence, and all the way to the end, when the process is completed. When the process is completed, the victims still have the option to continue with counselling, psychosocial assistance and other forms of assistance. The research also showed that the introduction of the Act on the Prevention of Domestic Violence has had a major impact on society becoming more attentive and less tolerant of violence. Institutions have begun to pay more attention to addressing violence. The thesis also emphasizes the cooperation between different institutions. Judging by my research, professionals are aware of the importance of mutual cooperation. Finally, I present the conclusions, key findings and suggestions resulting from my research.
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