Russia set to domestic violence

                          Russia set  to  domestic violence 

  

This week, the Russian Parliament is expected  to take a step closer toward decriminalizing it altogether.

 In Russia, giving one’s spouse a slap is nothing extraordinary for many people. Data on domestic violence in Russia are obscure, but Interior  Ministry statistics show that 40 percent of all violent crimes in Russia are committed in family surroundings. In 2013, more than 9,000 women were           reported to have been killed in incidents of domestic violence.

                                     

 The bill stems from a Supreme Court ruling last summer to decriminalize battery that doesn’t inflict bodily harm, but to retain criminal charges for those accused of battery against family members. Conservative activists objected,saying the ruling meant a parent spanking a child could be punished more                           harshly than a nonrelative striking the child.
                        

 Activist Alyona Popova, whose online petition against the bill has attracted more                                than 180,000 signatures, sees the efforts to decriminalize domestic violence as a                                continuation of the Kremlin’s increasingly aggressive policies after several                                          repressive laws targeting various groups, from foreign-funded NGOs to gay                                        people.

 “I think it’s part of an overall ideology: Aggression and violence are on the rise in society in               general since war is everywhere and we’re surrounded by enemies,” Popova said,                               referring to the state media narrative that portrays Russia as a besieged fortress.

                         
  Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland earlier this week sent a letter to                   the speakers of both houses of Russia’s Parliament, expressing deep concern at the                            legislation. Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin dismissed the letter as an “unacceptable”                  attempt to influence Parliament.
                         
  Olga Batalina, one of the bill’s co-authors, said in the Duma last week that the penalty for                   battery should be lenient for acts of violence “committed in an emotional conflict, without                   malice, without grave consequences.”
                         
 “Battery doesn’t even involve grave bodily harm. We’re only talking about bruises,                              scratches, which is bad, too, of course,” she said.
                       
  The comment rattled some lawmakers. “Has anyone tried going around with a bruise for a                  week?” deputy Oleg Nilov asked Batalina at the hearing. “Does anyone think it’s OK?”
                         
  There haven’t been any significant protests against the bill so far.
                       
 Activist Popova is not surprised: Discussing domestic violence still is taboo in Russia.
                       
“Society is judgmental,” she said. “It goes like this: you’re a bad woman if you allow this to                 happen to you, or you’re airing dirty laundry and you’re to blame, or it’s he beats you it                       means he loves you. And a lot of people don’t want to go public about it.”

 on January 23, 2017

FOR MORE UPDATE : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7_VRmFI-MU ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvzK1oabw1s