The Solidarna Foundation launched a campaign on Tuesday entitled "Life has a price" to raise funds over the next three months for women and children who have been victims of domestic or gender-based violence and to sensitise the public to the difficulties of leaving a violent environment.

The aim of the campaign is to raise €50,000 for the Women’s Fund.

One in three women in Croatia has experienced some form of violence, for every reported case of domestic violence there are ten unreported cases, and on average it takes six years and seven returns to the perpetrator before a woman can leave a violent relationship for good, said Karla Pudar from Solidarna.

The perpetrator very often creates control and financial dependence so that the women are forced to return to him, and that is why the campaign was launched, she added.

Last year, the fund provided €80,000 to help 91 women and 120 children who were victims of violence, it said. Seventy of these women were victims of gender-based violence and 21 needed support and help with reproductive health.

Victims often struggle with a lack of understanding from institutions, which often show more sympathy for the perpetrator, said Sanja Sarnavka from Solidarna.