Skopje, 6 March 2026 (MIA) - One of the biggest issues in cases of domestic violence is when the victim withdraws a statement made to the police, said Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski at a roundtable discussion Friday on challenges in providing support and protection to victims of violence against women and domestic violence.

“I can assume that most victims are under pressure from the abuser, and we cannot in any way blame the victim for withdrawing the statement she gave. But we must find a more effective response to such situations. Within the current regulations, we have opportunities to work more efficiently as institutions, and that is why we are here, and that is why we will talk and coordinate to find solutions so that the 24/7 system responds not only from the Interior Ministry, but also from social work centers, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Criminal Court, NGOs, victim support services, and, I would add, from every Macedonian citizen who witnesses a situation of potential domestic violence and informs the police so we can react,” Toshkovski said. 

The Minister highlighted the importance of victims speaking out about domestic violence, and journalists reporting such cases.

“I am certain that public discussion of this type of violence and rapid intervention by all participants will bring results. This is a problem that burdens the country, a problem we face, and one that must be discussed openly. The issue must receive attention from every citizen, especially from institutions, so that we can provide a stronger institutional response in the future and use our capacities to the fullest to prevent such unwanted events. Today we will discuss these incidents, and I hope we will reach conclusions that will be implemented in the future, ensuring that every case is handled as quickly as possible, but also as fairly as possible, with the victim promptly separated from the abuser,” Toshkovski said.

A topic Toshkovski said he would raise at the conference, is how institutions can intervene against a specific abuser as quickly as possible – regardless of whose home it is – so that the abuser is swiftly isolated and the family, especially the children, are protected, in order to avoid further harmful consequences. 

The conference is being held after a mother and her daughter fell to their death from a high-rise building in the Skopje municipality of Karposh on Monday. It was later reported that she had been facing domestic violence from her husband for years, who is now in custody.

Photo: Screenshot/MIA file photo