Putin abandons victims of gender violence

MoscowIn Russia, it is estimated that at least 1,200 women are murdered each year by their partners or ex-partners, but the figure could be much higher because the government conceals its statistics. Vladimir Putin's conservative revolution, the defense of traditional values, and the alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church have led to the decriminalization of gender-based violence. Now, in addition, pressure from the authorities has forced the closure of Nasiliu.net (No to Violence), the country's leading organization for women victims of abuse.

"At Nasiliu.net they supported me, they listened to me, no one told me it was nothing, that it was nonsense. Now many like me won't know where to turn," Elizabeta, one of the women who sought help at the center years ago, told ARA. Since its founding in 2015, they have helped 10,000 victims of gender-based violence, and until their closure, they received between 500 and 700 inquiries each month.

The Kremlin hasn't directly forced them to cease operations, but it has starved them out. In 2020, the courts included the entity in the register of foreign agentsInitially, they only had to declare every last ruble they earned, but the situation has become increasingly complicated, forcing them to close down on December 30th. Search engines removed them from their results, the platforms they used to receive donations blocked them, and they were prohibited from offering training courses, one of the cornerstones of their work. The women gradually became afraid to contact them.Nasiliu.netdue to possible reprisals.

The association denies having received a single cent from abroad, as the government claims. But behind the bureaucratic reasons for the campaign of economic strangulation and stigmatization lie various stances taken by the organization that placed it in the regime's crosshairs. Above all, its support for three Russian sisters convicted of killing their abusive and sexually assaulting father in 2019, as well as its leading calls for the government to strengthen legislation against domestic violence.

"Our data suggests that the Russian authorities are trying to remove the issue of domestic violence from public attention," Victoria Odissonova, until recently a spokesperson for Nasiliu.net, explained to ARA. The center estimates that a violent crime occurs in a Russian family every ten minutes, that 90% of married Russian women may experience some form of marital violence, and that, nationwide, the perpetrators of 40% of murders of women are their partners.

In 2017, the Kremlin decriminalized violence against partners and children if it is not repeated and does not cause serious injury. The law became known as the "first slap law." This further obscured gender-based violence and made it more difficult to count cases. Added to this is the public discourse, in collusion with the Church, which proclaims that the family is the highest good. Putin has warned Duma deputies that he will not allow any laws against domestic abuse to be passed because it is a promise he made to Patriarch Kirill. "The official policy now is traditional values; it's trying to save the marriage at all costs. Even if he hits you, you still have to try to fix the situation, but not get a divorce," Odissonova says.

The danger of veterans in Ukraine

“Given that domestic violence is decriminalized, I think not everyone will go to state-run centers for fear of being told that what’s happening to them is normal or that there’s nothing they can do; it’s very sad,” Elizabeta adds. And the situation could become even more complicated when thousands of veterans of the war in Ukraine return home if a peace agreement is reached. According to the independent media outletViorstkaSoldiers returned from the front have killed or maimed more than 1,000 people in nearly four years. Many of these have accepted or will accept the pardon offered by the Ministry of Defense. to every condemned man who signs a contract to go and fight On the front lines.

Despite the fears, the former spokesperson for Nasiliu.net denies that they have noticed "any sudden change" or that more women of military personnel have approached them. He attributes this to the association's outlawed status and pressure from their surroundings not to report their situation. He does warn that if the government's crackdown on organizations that help women victims of gender-based violence continues, "we can certainly expect an increase in violence in Russia." And yet, he is not pessimistic: "For those who trusted us and turned to our center, the closure is a great loss and a tragedy. But nothing lasts forever. Someone will survive these times and will be able to continue our work."