ABSTRACT
People in postcommunist states are currently beginning to learn their rights, as well as learn how to be citizens—how to take care of their own interests and make their own decisions. Along with this process there is a growing awareness of human rights and the rights of women. Women in postcommunist states often accept brutal behavior, including sexual harassment, as obvious reflections of "manhood", and so far they have not protested against it. Rape, according to the Czech legal code, is defined as the use of violence, the threat of immediate violence, or the misuse of a woman's inability to defend herself to force a woman into sexual intercourse. The White Circle of Safety was begun in the Czech Republic in 1991. This organization, which primarily does counseling for victims of violent crime, is run on an all-volunteer basis and includes psychologists, psychiatrists, criminologists, lawyers, judges, and social workers.
