The Pod Svícnem initiative was established in Prague. Draws attention to the issue of domestic violence Company News Pražská Drbna
There is the greatest darkness under the candlestick. The name of the new initiative, which was presented today at a press conference in Prague, is based on a well-known proverb. The initiative called Under the Candlestick is backed by people from the political, commercial and non-profit spheres. In the first phase, their common goal is to inform the public about the general issue of domestic violence. Gradually, the initiative aims only at changes in legislation.
Only five to ten percent of cases of domestic violence are reported
The author of the idea of launching an initiative Under the candlestick is Michaela Studená. “The initial impulse was about three years ago, when I was pregnant. At that time, the three-year-old boy Mareček was wiped out by his stepfather, who was imprisoned for 22 years, but eventually committed suicide. I admit that the situation was very strong for me, so I went to Bára Urbanová, who was an activist at the time, and asked her if we could do something about it. Her team worked on legislative matters and found out what could be done better. I alerted my friends from marketing and we put together the creative part of the campaign, “ described Michaela Studená for Prague Gossip.
Barbora Urbanová (STAN) became an MP and became a co-author of the Pod Svícnem project. “In the Czech environment, the concept of domestic violence is reduced to partnerships. Our goal is to educate the public that this issue has many forms and also forms. According to available data, domestic violence affects up to 2,500 households with children per year, with only five to ten percent of cases reported. These numbers are alarming, ” describes the press release of the co-author of the project Barbora Urbanová.
“Under the candlestick is the greatest darkness”
According to Michaela Studená, the aim of the campaign is primarily legislative changes. “Firstly, it is the creation of a uniform legal definition of domestic violence and secondly, a uniform conceptual regulation,” said Studená. “So it will always be clearly defined whether about domestic violence and how the system should behave at that moment.” added the lawyer Alice Hejzlarová.
Behind the name of the initiative is a proverb that says that there is the greatest darkness under the candlestick. “The name of the initiative evokes the saying ‘There is the greatest darkness under the candlestick’, meaning that the greatest threat can occur where no one expects it. Where we should feel most safe. Behind our home doors, “ concluded by the author Michaela Studená.
• Number of criminal offenses of abuse of a person living in a shared dwelling (§ 199): 400 – 600 cases per year (403 cases in 2022)
• Number of rape offenses (§ 185): approx. 600 cases per year (773 cases in 2021)
• Number of expulsions from the common dwelling: approx. 1100 – 1400 per year (data of the Police)
• approx. 2,500 cases of domestic violence in families with children per year (OSPOD data)
• The high latency rate (only 5-10% of cases reported) and the absence of a definition mean that we do not have data from the police on domestic violence.
