The number of people evicted from their homes due to domestic violence in the Czech Republic increased by 181 to 1,268 last year, the highest number since 2018, according to data from the Association of Intervention Centre Workers released today.
According to the Association, the number of families with children in the care of the centres and the number of children affected by domestic violence increased last year.
When evicted, the police identified 2,612 people facing the risk of domestic violence last year. The largest number, 1,251, were women at risk, followed by children, who numbered 1,180. The police also identified 181 men as being at risk. “In all three categories, that’s up from 2022,” the Association said.
Police used eviction measures most often in the South Moravia and Usti nad Labem regions and in Prague.
The number of families with children in the care of the centres due to the eviction of a violent person has also increased. While in 2022, there were 560 such families, last year this rose to 677. The centres registered 1,394 children affected by domestic violence last year, 304 more than the year before. Minors were recorded in 679 households from which someone was evicted in 2023.
Eviction has been used in the Czech Republic to protect those at risk since 2007. Police can evict a violent person from a shared home for ten days if they suspect domestic violence. This is a preventive measure and is imposed regardless of any criminal qualification of the act.
The highest annual number of evictions in the Czech Republic was 1,430, in 2011. The fewest cases were recorded in the first three years after the measure was introduced.
The Association launched a campaign called Carousel of Violence last November, in response to the increase in the number of domestic violence cases.
Preliminary results of the Association’s research show that one third of respondents who have experienced domestic violence have had violence in their family in previous generations. However, according to the Association, the transmission of violence between generations is often only realised from longer, more in-depth conversations.
The association will present the final results of the research at a press conference on 21 February.
