Russia: CSOs and official agencies must work together to combat domestic violence pending a new law
Elena Topoleva-Soldunova: The law on combating domestic violence must not cause divisions in society
10.06.2026
Article published on the ASI website
Until appropriate legislation is introduced, the fight against domestic violence will require the joint efforts of CSOs, law enforcement agencies, MPs and Government authorities.
A bill to combat domestic violence in Russia must be worded in such a way so as not to cause divisions in society. This was the view expressed in an interview with TASS at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) by Elena Topoleva-Soldunova, Chair of the Federation’s Civic Chamber Commission on the Development of the Non-Profit Sector, Head of the Kindness of the North Foundation, and Director of the Agency of Social Information.
According to Elena, domestic violence remains a pressing issue that affects women, children and the elderly. She also pointed out that many victims choose not to report incidents to law enforcement agencies, preferring instead to seek help from CSOs. She added that most regions have crisis centres and helplines where victims can receive support and feel safe.
“We need to come up with a law that will help foster some form of consensus, rather than one that causes division in society. If the public agrees, I think even men would accept it”, she said.
Until such time as a federal law is enacted, the issue must continue to be addressed at various levels by CSOs, Government bodies, law enforcement agencies, MPs and members of the public.
Among the measures needed to prevent domestic violence, Elena cited the early identification of families in crisis and the development of programmes to support them. She also considers mediation to be one of the tools for preventing and resolving conflict.
The bill on the prevention of domestic violence has been discussed repeatedly in Russia. In 2019, the Federation Council published a text which, among other things, included the introduction of protection orders for victims of violence. The document was subsequently sent back for further revision, but was never submitted to the State Duma due to a lack of consensus during the public consultation stage.
The Marem human rights project team reported that a proposal to adopt a law to combat domestic violence had been sent to the Russian Government’s Administrative Office back in April.
