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In Our Country, the problem of domestic violence is acute – every year thousands of women die from assault in the home. A draft law on the prevention of domestic violence has been discussed for several months now. It is assumed that the new document will ensure the protection of the rights of victims of violence, give them the opportunity for psychological rehabilitation and help with social adaptation. We figure out when the law on domestic violence will be adopted and the spouses who dissolve their hands will begin to be punished.
What is Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is called differently – domestic, family, partner. But all these phrases have one meaning – violence occurs between people who are in personal relationships. Mostly they are spouses, partners or former spouses.
It is important to distinguish between family conflict, which is one-time, and partner violence, which recurs regularly.
A conflict becomes domestic violence when it occurs in the same pattern at least twice. This is a system of behavior of one family member in relation to another, which is based on power and control. According to psychologists, it has no specific reason, except that one of the partners seeks to control the behavior and feelings of the other and suppress him as a person at different levels.
Types of domestic violence
There are several types of domestic violence: physical, sexual, psychological and economic.
Physical violence
Physical violence is the direct or indirect influence on the victim with the intent to cause physical harm, fear, pain, injury, other physical suffering or bodily injury. In other words, it is control over the victim, it is also assault.
This type is considered the most common in families – according to statistics, every third woman is beaten by a spouse or partner. This type includes not only beatings, but also strangulation, infliction of pain in the form of burns and other methods of causing bodily harm, up to murder, as well as evasion of first aid, sleep deprivation, forced use of drugs or alcohol. Causing physical harm to other family members and animals for the purpose of psychologically influencing the victim is defined as an indirect form of physical violence.
Strangulation is recognized as the most deadly form of physical violence. This is mostly a hidden problem because there are no external injuries. Many US states have even passed specific anti-suffocation laws.
Sexual assault
Sexual abuse refers to the moment when a partner forces his “victim” to have sex and other types of sexual activities through force, blackmail or threats. This is directly related to the idea of sex as a “marital duty” that a woman must perform regardless of her desire. In families where there is sexual violence, the woman “gives” and the man “takes”. Compulsion to have sex under the guise of marital duty is also sexual abuse, since there is no marital duty. Sex in a healthy relationship always takes place by mutual consent expressed by both people, it brings pleasure, enjoyment and joy from intimacy with a partner.
Rape is considered the most brutal form of sexual violence. Consequences include unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and psychological trauma. Women who have experienced rape have problems in bed with a new, adequate partner in the future.
According to statistics, only 10-12% of victims of sexual violence in Our Country go to the police. This is hushed up, it is not pleasant and embarrassing to talk about, especially if the rape happened at home by a partner.
Forms of sexual violence also include showing genitals, showing pornography, sexual contact, physical contact with genitals, looking at genitals without physical contact, using a partner to produce pornography.
Psychological abuse
Psychological violence is threats, blackmail, manipulation and insults. This type of violence occurs mainly with the participation of children. The Fiend uses them as hostages to the point of threatening to harm the children if the partner does not obey him.
Psychological abuse is difficult to diagnose and virtually impossible to prove in court. Signs of psychological impact are rarely visible, and the consequences can be extremely severe. At first, these are offensive remarks (which are often called criticism), caustic jokes, especially and often public ones, any actions and statements, or vice versa, inaction degrading the dignity of the victim.
If a partner forbids meeting friends, relatives, visiting some places, working or studying, this is also psychological abuse and, therefore, you live with an abuser.
The one who engages in psychological violence often manipulates, threatens, inspires feelings of guilt. B
This also includes humiliation and belittling of significance, depreciation of the partner’s achievements.
This form of communication is common not only among spouses and partners, but also between parents and children. In almost all cases, this leads the victim to serious psychological and emotional problems, and the help of a psychologist cannot be dispensed with.
economic violence
Economic – the case when one partner deprives the other of financial freedom. It all starts simply – one of the partners / spouses completely takes the salary of the other and does not allow him to participate in financial decisions.
In the future, this is control over the financial and other resources of the family, the allocation of money to the victim for “maintenance”, extortion, coercion to extortion. Often, this type of violence even includes a ban on education and / or employment, and the deliberate waste of family funds in order to create a tense environment. If a man gives money only for certain goods or buys them himself, does not let him go to work or study, this is also violence.
When one of the partners himself refuses to work, this is also a form of economic violence. In this case, he makes another work for two or interferes with his work because of his own complexes.
Law on Domestic Violence in Our Country
Unfortunately, at the moment there is no special law on domestic violence in Our Country. Men taken into custody for beating their wife are usually held under several articles of the Criminal Code of the Federation: “Intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm”), 112 (“Intentional infliction of moderate bodily harm”), 115 (“Intentional infliction of minor bodily harm”) 116 ( “Battery”) and 119 (“Threat to kill or inflict grievous bodily harm”), 105 “Murder”. None of the articles contains such a clause as a crime committed against a spouse/partner.
As comments human rights activist, head of the No to Violence project Anna Rivina, cases initiated under the criminal article “slight bodily harm” and “beatings” are cases of private prosecution.
– After such statements, a man is most often sent on bail not to leave, the article is not difficult. And he continues to live with his victim in the same walls. Presses. Demands that she take the application, – said the specialist.
The problem is often that the victims are often not interested in bringing a case against their partner. It still seems to women that “you can’t take dirty linen out of the hut”, “you can save your family” and “we’ll sort it out ourselves”, “it won’t happen again.”
— Often the victim of domestic violence underestimates the level of danger. And even if, for example, she is regularly beaten, she is not always aware of herself as a victim – this awareness seriously affects self-worth and identity. To realize this is shameful and unpleasant. Usually the psyche is not ready for this, and it tries to compensate by justifying the rapist and attributing aggressive and provocative behavior to itself. I often hear from clients who have experienced violence: “It was I who brought him”, “It was I who provoked him”, but, having figured it out, we come to the conclusion that this is a defense mechanism and in reality everything was not like that, – says practicing psychologist Elena Sadykova.
If we take articles 115 and 116, then they refer to cases of private prosecution. In this case, the victim must remove the beating, find witnesses, and then act as an accusation. This slows down women, and they refuse to initiate proceedings.
On November 29, 2019, a bill prepared by senators and deputies was published. The draft law “On Amendments to Article 20 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Federation” was prepared in one package with the draft federal laws “On the Prevention of Domestic Violence in the Federation” and “On Amendments to the Civil Procedure Code of the Federation in Part of the Prevention of Family Violence domestic violence.”
The decision has not yet been made.
Popular questions and answers
Why are women most often the victims of violence? Men are naturally more aggressive, while women are physically weaker. During the period of birth and upbringing of children, they become even more vulnerable – it is even more difficult to get away from the aggressor. Plus, the patriarchal tradition of paying men more for work (proven by research): that is, after a break with a partner, it is more difficult for women to provide for themselves, commented practicing psychologist Elena Sadykova.
If you have contact with your parents, try talking to them first. You can offer to work with a psychologist – he will talk with the beating parent and the child himself. If the child is in school, then you can report information to the class teacher, if he goes to kindergarten – to the teacher.
Where to turn for help if violence occurs in the family?
Women with problems are ready to help in crisis centers that are in every city. They will provide both psychological and legal support. The trouble is that women rarely seek help – after all, they initially consider themselves bad, terrible, disgusting.
– The victim often does not leave the aggressor for the reason that most of the time the monster is an exemplary husband and father of children. It’s like you live with a werewolf, one aspect of which you love, and the other you are afraid of. In addition, attachment to a person can be quite strong, and it does not disappear with a click, the psychologist continues.
All- phone number for women victims of domestic violence 8 (800) 700-06-00. www.anna-center.ru;
Helpline for emergency psychological assistance: 8 (495) 575-87-70;
Psychological assistance to women in difficult situations: 8 (495) 282-84-50.
Statistics of domestic violence in Our Country
In Our Country, according to data for 2019, about 77,1 million women suffered from domestic violence – 16 million, that is, one in five.
This indicator is calculated on the basis of data from the report “Reproductive health of the population of Our Country 2011”, prepared by Rosstat with the support of the United Nations Population Fund, as well as the reproductive health department of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).