There is no time for beatings in battle – Kommersant

A large-scale surge in domestic violence in Russia due to the participation of citizens in the SVO, as a number of experts predicted earlier, has not been noted. This is stated by the Travmpunkt human rights project, which analyzed the statistics of cases under the article “Beatings” of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation in the Russian Federation in 2022 (under this rule, cases of domestic violence are most often recorded). The growth of the indicator compared to the previous year amounted to 3–4%, which does not exceed the margin of error. Human rights activists, however, explain that during the crisis, women are less likely to turn to specialists for help, and refer to the unrepresentative statistics. In turn, the deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Family Affairs, Vitaly Milonov (ER), believes that “either insane feminists, or deeply covert agents of influence of Western intelligence services” see a possible connection between hostilities and such issues.

The Travmpunkt human rights project (the project was launched by the Agora international human rights group in the spring of 2023, is focused on legal assistance to victims of domestic violence. – “Kommersant”) analyzed the summary statistics of criminal records in Russia for 2022, published by the Judicial Department at the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. Researchers, in particular, were interested in the picture of domestic violence in Russia. There is no special record of family and domestic offenses in Russia, so the Travmpunkt employees studied the cases initiated under the articles under which they are most often prosecuted for such crimes. It turned out that last year Russian courts considered 170,608 cases under the article “Battery” (6.1.1. of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation) and brought 108,420 people to justice. Most of the convicts were ordered to pay a fine, the average amount of which amounted to 5,410 rubles, which barely exceeds the minimum fine under the battery article. As for criminal cases related to domestic violence, those were most often initiated under the articles “Intentional infliction of minor bodily harm” (part 1 of article 115 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), “Beating by a person subjected to administrative punishment” (article 116.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and “Torture” (part 1 of article 117 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Statistics from the Judicial Department show that, compared to 2021, the number of cases under the above articles has remained virtually unchanged. “The domestic violence situation is not improving. From year to year, the statistics remain at about the same level with an error of 3-4%, ”says Anastasia Shardakova, the lead lawyer for the Travmpunkt project.

After the start of the special operation, human rights activists and activists, we note, predicted a rapid surge in cases of domestic violence. Experts explained that combatants may experience so-called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is characterized by irritability and anger. Often these emotions are expressed in a destructive way and directed at other family members, leading to an increase in domestic violence. The analytics of Travmpunkt did not record cardinal changes.

Experts suggest that when studying the problem, the data of the judicial department may not be representative. Lawyer, head of the Center for the Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence at the Consortium of Women’s NGOs Mari Davtyan, for example, is sure that it is almost impossible to assess the real level of domestic violence now: Art. 6.1.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses includes all types of beatings. Ms. Davtyan, in a conversation with Kommersant, said that it was premature to talk about the impact of hostilities on the growth of violence in the country: “We need to conduct a large study. And it can be carried out only when the hostilities are over, when at least six months have passed since the return of the military personnel and the influence of PTSD manifests itself.

“When a person is injured, he can develop PTSD, one of the manifestations of which is aggressive behavior towards loved ones,” agrees psychologist Anastasia Ermolaeva, founder of the Nizhny Novgorod Women’s Crisis Center. But she also does not note a significant increase in the number of women’s applications against the background of the SVO.

“One way or another, the level of violence in society is gradually growing, but the main consequences await us when the servicemen return from the front,” says Anna Rivina, director of the “Violence. No” center (the center and Mrs. Rivina are entered in the register by foreign agents). “This is typical for all societies that have ever gone through a similar period.” According to Ms. Rivina, in conditions of a military or post-war crisis, women suffering from violence are much more likely to refuse to seek help: “They have absolutely no clarity about where to go, what to do with their children, what to rely on tomorrow. Therefore, they will tolerate a bad attitude even more, thinking that now they cannot afford any sudden movements.”

Co-founder of the project “You are not alone” and co-author of the bill on the prevention of domestic violence Alena Popova (included in the register of foreign agents) attributes the lack of “real statistics to the absence of a law on domestic violence.” In 2022, her project recorded several crisis peaks in the number of applications from women victims of domestic violence. According to Ms. Popova, they were all connected in one way or another with military operations: “The increase in aggression was noted during periods when people went to the war zone, as well as when they returned home or on vacation.”

Recall that the draft law “On the Prevention of Domestic Violence in the Russian Federation”, developed with the participation of Alena Popova and ex-State Duma deputy Oksana Pushkina (ER) in 2019, was mothballed after criticism from parliamentarians, activists and religious leaders. Thus, Pavel Krasheninnikov, head of the Committee on State Building and Legislation, considered it contrary to the Constitution, while Patriarch Kirill and Mufti of Moscow Ildar Alyautdinov perceived the law as a dangerous interference in the lives of Russian families. Some members of the public were outraged that representatives of the LGBT community spoke out in support of the bill. As a result, an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin against the adoption of the law was signed by 181 public organizations.

Officials have made no recent announcements related to domestic violence statistics in Russia. Kommersant turned to Vitaly Milonov, deputy chairman of the Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children, who said that he had not received any information about the increase in cases of domestic violence in connection with the participation of Russians in the SVO. “I don’t know anything about the increase in the statistics of domestic violence in connection with the military operation. I will assume that such stuffing is done by insane feminists or deeply conspiratorial agents of influence of Western intelligence agencies in order to somehow bite Russian society and sow seeds of discord. Although I admit that both versions are correct, ”commented Mr. Milonov (he himself takes an active part in the NWO). The head of the State Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children Nina Ostanina (KPRF) told Kommersant that at the moment there are no initiatives like the draft law “On the Prevention of Domestic Violence in the Russian Federation” in the committee. “The deputies did not introduce such a bill,” Ms. Ostanina stated.

Emilia Gabdullina