Women having been exposed to domestic violence and granted sole exercise of the parental right are required to deliver evidence that a parent/perpetrator who does not exercise the parental right does not fulfil the legal obligation of paying the child support either, when submitting a request for exercise the right to cash assistance – cash social welfare, assistance and care for another person and other  forms of social welfare benefits.

Depending on practice of a competent body, the submitter of a request might be asked to deliver the evidence on criminal charges pressed for the criminal act of evading the payment of child support or to deliver the final sentence passed in this criminal procedure. Such obligation puts the submitters of request into a very difficult position. Namely, upon the experienced violence and numerous court procedures they have been through, the submitters of request are requested to initiate a new court procedure which requires facing the perpetrator again and exposing to secondary victimization.

Praxis’ experience in the work with women who were exposed to violence shows that such procedures last for about 5 to 10 months and sometimes even longer, which is also confirmed by results of research on exercise of the right to legal support before the judiciary bodies.

Due to the above stated, Praxis addressed the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy for the opinion about the exercise of the right to cash assistance to single mothers who have been exposed to violence.