The monitoring showed that most of the beneficiaries were satisfied with shelter services and positively evaluated the efforts of the administration and personnel; the beneficiaries feel safe and constantly supported in the shelter.

As a result of assessing the access of victims of violence to the protection and assistance services, it is clear that gender based violence is still justified by the public and victims of domestic violence have the sense of vulnerability and injustice in the process of escaping violence. For some victims, communication with the law enforcement agencies is a big challenge, caused by the lack of trust. The situation is further complicated by the fact that victims of domestic violence are often unable to get comprehensive information about the protection and assistance mechanisms available in the country, including the specificity of shelters, from the law enforcement agencies.

Like in previous years, medical examination of victims upon admission to the shelter is problematic, as the examination is mostly limited to an oral inquiry, which cannot identify the cases of tuberculosis or sexually transmitted diseases and thus poses risks to other beneficiaries.

The limited number of psycho-social rehabilitation, educational and employment programmes, and in some cases their absence, is still a problem in the shelters. In addition, infrastructure of the facilities is not adequate.

It is important the shelters to promote victims’ education, which would enable them to enroll in the employment programmes and get ready to live independently. In this regard, it is necessary to deepen the cooperation of shelters with NGOs and service provider organizations.