Opinion (Rogério COPETO): The SERVICE telecare VIOLENCE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC
The Telecare Service to Victims of Domestic Violence (STVD) It is a free service that provides victims of domestic violence (CEO), that directly benefit, a quick and proportionate response, in dangerous situations, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
Rogério COPETO
Lieutenant Colonel of the GNR, Master in Law and Security and Homeland Security Auditor
Head of the Education Division / Command Doctrine and Training
The implementation of STVD is the responsibility of CIG (Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality) and started through a pilot project in the districts of Porto and Coimbra under the law No. 112/2009 of 16 September and Decree 220-A / 2010 16 April.
To operationalize the STVD was formalized Protocol signed in September 2010 between the IGC, a GNR, PSP and the Portuguese Red Cross (CVP), having this service was extended to the entire national territory 2011 by Ordinance # 63/2011, of 3 February.
This assistance to DV victims is authorized by the Court, whenever this proves essential to their protection and after obtaining the consent, are you ensuring the allocation of a mobile device (phone with panic button), which is connected directly to the "Call Center" of CVP where specifically prepared technicians to respond appropriately to each situation.
So, whenever a device is assigned to a victim of VD, all these bodies have to develop a set of tasks, so to that victim protection is guaranteed 24 hours per day, during the term given to you by the Court.
In the IGC is responsible for receiving all decisions of the courts to award protection through STVD, giving the victims their mobile device (outside Lisbon and Porto lies with GNR and PSP make this delivery) and to develop all documentation required for the purpose and that can be found on the IGC page, referring in the shortest time, that information to other entities, CVP, GNR e PSP.
The GNR and PSP after receipt of notice that a particular victim was included in STVD, attach to their victim a case manager, which is responsible for the contact and follow up, as well as all the territorial device of GNR is informed that one victim was inserted in STVD, guaranteeing you protection whenever you activate the "panic button".
At FMC through its "Call Center" is responsible for receiving all applications for aid issued by the equipment held by victims and direct them to the GNR or local PSP, and to promote the same with the necessary psychosocial support.
All equipment delivered to the victims have GPS and so real-time technicians CVP know the location of all victims, as well as an emergency, this information is transmitted to the local GNR or PSP which was triggered the "panic button".
No caso da GNR, and when the FMC receives a request for help from the victims entered into STVD, this information is transmitted to the station with territorial jurisdiction for the area where the alert was triggered, which must promote as soon as possible the presence at that location of a patrol of said Territorial Desk, contacting the victim and ensuring her protection.
When the STVD was implemented in 2009 GNR already had in their bodies structure to tackle the problem of VD, who at the time were called "cores Female Younger", created 2004 and what is now called "Centers of Research and Support of Victims Specific" (NIAVE), having all its military specific training on the proper handling of issues related to women, minors, the elderly and the disabled as victims.
The niave are especially geared towards prevention, monitoring and investigation of cases of violence against women, children and the elderly, within the RV and other crimes committed in the family environment or ill-treatment.
So when implementing the STVD, GNR was already prepared to meet the needs of this new protection service to DV victims, where appropriate manager, which is attributed to RV and victims residing in the jurisdiction of the GNR, a military of niave, thus ensuring the GNR a specialized monitoring of all victims inserted in STVD.
And every territorial device received training, in order to better respond to the demands of STVD, including all military from the front row, the so-called "rangers", because to them the responsibility to be the first to provide protection to victims who drive the "panic button"
Presently the STVD guarantee protection around 500 victims, tendo this year been driven to GNR ou to PSP 91 times, and in all of these emergencies the military of the GNR and the PSP officers ensured protection to their success with victims.
Taking into account the number of women dying each year, victims of RV situations, It may be questioned why there is a low number of victims, whose protection is ensured by this service, knowing that 2014 They were recorded 22.959 complaints by RV crime. But the answer to this question lies in the fact that the STVD is one of the measures that can be applied for protection of victims, should be considered by the courts on a case applying the best measure, for that victim, because other measures can be implemented, namely coercion to the offending, which therefore can dispense with the STVD, as well as, not all victims meet conditions for them to be granted protection through STVD.
However the number of victims inserted in STVD has vivid increasing since it was implemented, and that when he began were little more than 10 those victims who were protected by STVD.
This increase in victims inserted in STVD causes also increase the commitment of the GNR and PSP, by virtue of increasing the possible emergency situations and the need to direct police means to ensure the protection of victims that trigger the "panic button".
For the GNR and PSP whenever you receive an alert via the "Call Center" of CVP this service immediately becomes a priority, because presumably the victim that triggers, meets their physical integrity at risk and in need of immediate protection.
So without prejudice to the importance that all parties involved have the operationalization of STVD, it seems that without the GNR and PSP without this service would be only one more telephone line psychosocial support to victims of VD, and is the sole mention justice that will fit the GNR and PSP much of the responsibility for the success of this service and that has saved many lives.
