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Every year, it is estimated that 14,000 women die from domestic violence in Russia. An additional 60,000 women suffer domestic violence at the hands of their partner. Violence is a common characteristic of 25% of Russian households, and about 40% of all serious violent crimes occur within the family. This problem is astronomical—despite the fact that the United States has double the population of Russia, Russia’s domestic violence deaths are 10 times that of the United States. Yet despite this, many women feel they are unable to report; about 70% of women never make any report of domestic violence. This may be due largely to a lack of legal repercussions for the perpetrator, as only 3% of domestic violence cases end with some sort of court ordered sentence.

Furthermore, the current legal system in Russia does not foster an open and accessible system of reporting. From day one, when women try to report to the police, they are often told to “think about it,” or to consider and then come back in a day or two to make the official report. One women was told by a female police officer to “just run away like I did.” While the police argue that they do go give warnings to the husbands, they say they “cannot prevent what happens behind closed doors.” Before the women’s report will be taken seriously, she must be able to prove a “medium” grade of injuries, which is classified as an injury that forces the woman to stay home for at least two weeks. Even if she is able to make an official report, there is no clause of the Russian criminal code that outlaws domestic violence. There are no civil laws that allow women to get restraining orders or emergency protection orders. Only under articles 115 and 116 of Russian legal code, women are allowed to pursue private prosecution, but 90% of these cases are dismissed on “technical errors.”

This culture of repression stems back to the reign of Ivan the Terrible, where the “Domostroy” (meaning “household”) was introduced after being approved by the Russian Orthodox Church. This guide for households to follow stated that regular beatings were necessary to save the woman’s soul, and that violence is seen as a justifiable way to control women. Should a woman beat her husband, this book stated that the woman should be buried alive with only her head sticking out of the ground, and left there to die. However, there were no repercussions outlined if a man should kill his wife. The old Russian proverb “Бьет значит любит” is translated as “if he beats you, he loves you.” Unfortunately, this proverb has remained all too prevalent, even in modern day Russia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, women were disproportionately affected by inequality and poverty. One woman stated that she couldn’t even leave her apartment, even after getting an official divorce from her husband, because she could not afford to live on her own. This culture of poverty among women has continued since the 1990’s. Moreover, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women has stated that Russia does not implement any policies or make any efforts to encourage the equality of women, besides a clause in the constitution stating that men and women are seen as equal in the eyes of the law. Beyond this, there is no way to take action against any sort of gender discrimination. From the 16th century, Russian culture and policies have contributed to a culture that oppresses women in domestic violence cases.

In March of 2013, Putin spoke to his core supporters, The People’s Front, stating that the Russian government should take more action to protect children from violence. However, he made no mention of violence against women, and continued to remain silent on the issue, focusing primarily on platforms of economic growth instead. In the past 15 years, more than 50 draft laws have passed through the State Duma, attempting to address the issue of domestic violence, but none have passed. The Russian government has failed to make this a priority issue.

Across the country, there are only 20 state funded shelters for women of Domestic violence. In Moscow, a city of eleven million people, there is only one shelter, “Nadezhda,” meaning “hope.” Last year, over 500 women and children utilized the shelter. In addition to the state funded shelter, a private organization known as Anna jointly sponsors the Kitezh shelter in Moscow with the local Orthodox monastery.  These shelters have proved an invaluable resource for women, providing them with free psychological counseling and legal services. Yet despite their success, the directors of Nadezhda say that they do not feel there is a demand for any more state funded shelters. The director of Anna disagrees, stating that she feels domestic violence is a major problem in Russia. She states that there needs to be a massive culture shift towards the victims of domestic violence, before the country can make real progress on the issue. However, she counters by noticing some positive change. “Twenty years ago, talk shows would ask ‘what’s wrong with these women that they deserve a beating?’ but now they are asking ‘what can we do to change this?’” says the director of Anna.

 

Works Cited

  1. News, BBC. “The Silent Nightmare of Domestic Violence in Russia.” BBC News. N.p., 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
  2. Monaghan, Jennifer. “Domestic Violence in Russia: Optimism as Country Faces up to the ‘silent Crisis'” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 9 May 2015. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
  3. Feifer, Gregory. “Domestic Violence: A Silent Crisis In Russia.” NPR. NPR, 17 July 2008. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
  4. Baczynska, Gabriella. “Victims of Domestic Violence Face Uphill Battle for Protection in Russia.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
  5. “Violence Against Women in the Russian Federation.” Stop Violence Against Women. Advocates for Human Rights, 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
  6. “History of Battered Women’s Movement.” ICADV. Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1999. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.
  7. Litvinova, Daria. “If He Beats You, It Means He Loves You.” The Moscow Times, 5 Aug. 2016. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.