Cankarjev dom – CD Cultural and Congress Centre hosted between 13 and 15 September the 4th ECDV – European Conference on Domestic Violence. The conference was held online as the organisers wanted to assure that attendees from around the world were able to participate despite the circumstances and to have a convenient place to meet and exchange their research findings or practical experiences with fellow international colleagues.
The 4th ECVD, which was after Belfast, Porto and Oslo, held in Ljubljana’s Cankarjev dom, was the result of a collaboration between the consortium of five members from the University of Ljubljana (Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Social Work, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Law, and Institute for Criminology at Faculty of Law). Every year, the conference brings together researchers, academics, students, professionals, practitioners and policy-makers from all over Europe.
“Postponing or even cancelling it would mean we have surrendered to the bleakness that the pandemic is laying on us and we refuse to do so,” announced the organising committee before the conference held in Cankarjev dom. “Moreover, the time for a conference on domestic violence is riper than ever. The pandemic, or more specifically, the measures different countries undertook to manage it, have exacerbated many of the factors contributing to domestic violence.”
Member of the organising committee, Dr. Ana Marija Sobočan from Faculty of Social Work, says that “At the same time, we are seeing a reduction in funding, services and opportunities for protection against violence in many parts of Europe and the world. With the conference, which presents practical experiences and research findings in the field of violence, we want to contribute to raising awareness about violence and to the development of practical work and research practicies in the field of violence.”
