the interior Ministry responded to the appeal of NGOs, who asked about the emergency measures to be implemented during a pandemic.
violators of the regime of self-isolation “in a state of extreme necessity,” including in a situation domestic violence, should not bear responsibility, said the interior Ministry in response to the appeal to the government of the Russian Federation of nine NGOs working with victims. The police “immediately respond” to every message to citizens about the facts of domestic violence, said the interior Ministry. The authors of the appeal to the government did not fully agree with the thesis of the immediate response, but noted that an explanation about the absence of sanctions “will help many victims.”
the Main Directorate for ensuring public order and coordinating interaction with Executive bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation interior Ministry responded to the appeal of nine Russian NGOs working with victims of domestic violence. The appeal was sent in March 2020, the government of the Russian Federation and heads of regions. Experts predicted a surge of domestic violence in the mode of isolation, referring to the experience of foreign countries — rising incidents of violence were recorded in several European countries and in China.
human rights activists asked, in particular, to explain to the police “their duty to respond immediately to reports of domestic violence and to ensure the safety of victims” (to register and check carefully all occasions, to explain to the victims the possibility of obtaining assistance and to ensure their safety) and also not to prosecute victims of domestic violence who violate the quarantine or isolation mode.
the interior Ministry said that “in the conduct of quarantine measures the police implemented the complex of preventive measures”:
Also, according to the Ministry of internal Affairs, “victims are brought to information about available social support services”.
in addition, explanatory work is conducted “in the course of consideration of appeals of citizens and collaboration with CPS measures for observance of the establish restrictions.”
“the police carried out an immediate response to every message of citizens on wrongful acts, including domestic violence,” — said the interior Ministry.
the Agency has assured that “persons violating the regime of self-isolation in a state of emergency, in accordance with the current legislation of the Russian Federation are not subject to liability.”
Note that in mid-may, the interior Ministry reported that the number of crimes related to domestic violence, “for the first quarter and April remains stable, as in the past year, has a tendency to decrease”. “At the end of three months, in the��tion of crimes of this type was 7%,” — said the head of the organization of policing activities and the execution of the administrative legislation of the Main Directorate for ensuring public order Ministry of internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Stanislav Kolesnik in an interview to “Russia-24”. Later the interior Ministry reported that “in April 2020 encroachments in the field of domestic relationship was 9% less than in April 2019, including 14.6% less of the facts of deliberate causing of heavy harm to health, 17.1% of medium — gravity damage, 3.3% — a little harm to health”.
a similar situation is reported and in the center of ANNA: in March compared with February, the number of calls to the national helpline for women increased by 24%. Women’s crisis center “Kitezh” in March recorded 15% more cases compared to February, according to RBC. In the statistics of the interior Ministry questioned in the Duma. Thus, the head of the Duma Committee on rules Olga Savastianova in conversation with TV channel “Russia-24” said that the data of the Ministry of interior do not reflect the real picture. Deputies from the party “United Russia” Vitaly Milonov, Nikolay Zemtsov, Vladimir Krupennikov and Inga Yumasheva appealed to the Prosecutor General of Russia Igor Krasnov with a request to check the publication of RBC on the rise in complaints about domestic violence during a regime of self-isolation, as these data do not correspond to the statistics of the interior Ministry.
head of the center for protection of victims of family violence Consortium of women’s non-governmental organizations (the organization is one of the signatories of the letter of NGOs to the government) lawyer Mari Davtyan, commenting on the response of the Ministry of interior, noted that the document described in the response and prevention NGOs working with victims, “in practice did.”
“At least, speaking of Moscow and Moscow region, I can say that the police in the complaints say they are busy monitoring isolation and quarantine, she said.— This they said several times our victims, by refusing even to come home”.
the Lawyer gave an example of when the police refused to come for the message of the inhabitant of Moscow on domestic violence: “They expressed concern that she was ill, and offered to write a statement the district”.
“When we applied to the government, saying that it is impossible to punish women who violate the isolation of the situation of violence, we were hoping that it will draw the attention of the police, — said Davtyan.— We were told that the person violated in such a situation, quarantine, freed from responsibility. But we know about it, let’s talk about the police”. She said that recently the inhabitant of Moscow had to break the isolation due aggression of the husband, who later informed the police that his wife left the apartment: “a woman contacted the district about the fact that she broke the quarantine. We sent the district the Ministry of internal Affairs, explaining that no Protocol in this situation is not necessary. While the treatment of most women about the violence there was no answer”.
the supervisors on the protection of the rights of women and children in the project “Area law” lawyer Valentina Frolova did not comment on the “b” part of the answer of the Ministry of interior about the quality of police work, but noted that information about the absence of liability for violation of isolation “will help many victims”
Partner of the bar Association Pen&Paper Catherine Thrust said “Kommersant” that “the increase of cases of violence during the period of the pandemic coronavirus, clearly applies not only to those families which already consist on the account and require a timely response to messages, and new victims first encountered this phenomenon the Solution of a problem begins with its recognition. Of course, all the above measures and many others are necessary, and such actions of law enforcement are the norm, which can count living in a legal state citizens. However, the letter NCO just had to draw attention to the fact that only one norm is not sufficient. Our country and the world, found himself in extraordinary circumstances.”
Valery Mishin
