Russia rejects calls for domestic violence overhaul
Published: 04:12 PM,Dec 16,2021 | EDITED : 08:12 PM,Dec 16,2021
Activists say nearly 16.5 million women in Russia suffered domestic violence every year before the pandemic, with lockdown measures only exacerbating the problem. -- AFP
MOSCOW: Russia rejected calls to tighten domestic violence legislation on Thursday after activists called for stricter rules in the wake of a European court ruling they hoped would influence change.
The European Court of Human Rights this week called out Moscow's 'failure' to protect women against violence within the home, which the Strasbourg-based court concluded was happening on a 'staggering scale' in the country.
Activists say nearly 16.5 million women in Russia suffered domestic violence every year before the pandemic, with lockdown measures only exacerbating the problem.
Russia in 2017 decriminalised some forms of domestic violence, classifying them as an administrative offence and not a crime.
Campaigners said the court decision should pave the way for lawmakers to adopt changes, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shot down those hopes on Thursday, saying current laws were sufficient.
'We believe current legislation provides all necessary tools to combat this evil and law enforcement agencies are making efforts,' Peskov told reporters.
'Of course, unfortunate and tragic incidents do occur,' he said, adding: 'I don't want to comment on the decision of the court.'
The Strasbourg-based court ordered Russia to pay compensation on Tuesday to four women who were battered or narrowly escaped being killed by their partners and who had had complaints to police ignored.
One of them, Margarita Gracheva, had her hands cut off by her husband in a case that shook Russia in 2017 and was this week awarded more than 370,000 euros ($419,000) by the court.
She said in response she was happy with the ruling and hoped Russia would listen.
'There are many of those who are already dead and can't tell their stories anymore,' she wrote on Instagram.
The ruling in Strasbourg was a second hopeful moment for activists recently after Russia's constitutional court in April ordered stronger laws to punish repeat offenders.
In 2019, a bill that would have introduced harsher punishments for first-time offenders, including jail time, was shunned by Russia's conservative groups, including the politically connected Orthodox Church. -- AFP
The European Court of Human Rights this week called out Moscow's 'failure' to protect women against violence within the home, which the Strasbourg-based court concluded was happening on a 'staggering scale' in the country.
Activists say nearly 16.5 million women in Russia suffered domestic violence every year before the pandemic, with lockdown measures only exacerbating the problem.
Russia in 2017 decriminalised some forms of domestic violence, classifying them as an administrative offence and not a crime.
Campaigners said the court decision should pave the way for lawmakers to adopt changes, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shot down those hopes on Thursday, saying current laws were sufficient.
'We believe current legislation provides all necessary tools to combat this evil and law enforcement agencies are making efforts,' Peskov told reporters.
'Of course, unfortunate and tragic incidents do occur,' he said, adding: 'I don't want to comment on the decision of the court.'
The Strasbourg-based court ordered Russia to pay compensation on Tuesday to four women who were battered or narrowly escaped being killed by their partners and who had had complaints to police ignored.
One of them, Margarita Gracheva, had her hands cut off by her husband in a case that shook Russia in 2017 and was this week awarded more than 370,000 euros ($419,000) by the court.
She said in response she was happy with the ruling and hoped Russia would listen.
'There are many of those who are already dead and can't tell their stories anymore,' she wrote on Instagram.
The ruling in Strasbourg was a second hopeful moment for activists recently after Russia's constitutional court in April ordered stronger laws to punish repeat offenders.
In 2019, a bill that would have introduced harsher punishments for first-time offenders, including jail time, was shunned by Russia's conservative groups, including the politically connected Orthodox Church. -- AFP