Domestic violenece, and particularly violence against women, is a common occurrence in today's society. This term refers to the abuse of power in relationships based on inequality. Only recently has the state become responsible for preventing and tackling domestic violence. It's the states responsibility to provide a legislative framework in the form of national and international regulatory documents, and to appropriately respond to cases of domestic violence. Social workers play an important role in this area, but their scope of action is often limited by law. These are not the only shortcomings of Croatia's social care system. Due to these restrictions, the influence of a social worker is often limited to encouraging women in leaving their abusive partners. Very often, however, women are resistant to leaving their partners or will eventually return to them. Apart from state institutions, support to female victims of violence is often provided by societal organisations, i.e. non-governmental organisations. The widest range of services for female victims can be obtained in safe homes, and the most practicaly and common option is their participation in support groups. Additionally, experts have been coming up with new ways of empowering female violence victims in modern society.