Russia: 50% rise in calls to women’s helpline for victims of violence
The number of calls to the All-Russian women’s helpline has risen by more than 50%
11.08.2026
Article published on the ASI website
The helpline has recorded 16,280 reports of violence during the first six months of this year.
The All-Russian helpline for female victims of violence has summarised its work for the first half of 2026. The data show that the number of telephone calls rose by 52.3%, compared to the same period last year.
In the first six months of the year, the helpline registered 15,839 calls and 441 messages via its crisis e-mail service and social media. The largest number of calls came from Moscow, St Petersburg, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Bashkortostan, and the Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Novosibirsk and Samara regions.
The majority of calls were to report acts of physical violence, which had affected 81% of women who contacted the helpline.
Last year, emotional and psychological abuse were the most common. Four in ten women who sought help had suffered physical injuries, while 16% had faced death threats. One in four women were on maternity leave or pregnant. One in ten reports involved stalking by a former partner, including digital monitoring and surveillance. Sixty-four per cent of women said they needed safe accommodation.
In addition, 78% of those who contacted the helpline had children, with cases of violence against them having risen from 16% last year to 28% this.
For 84% of those who rang the helpline, this was their first port of call for support, having previously not known where to turn for help. The data also show that existing legal protection measures are largely inadequate: in 87% of cases, the aggressors were never brought to justice, while 92% of victims were unhappy with the way the police had handled their case.
“We are seeing more than just a rise in the number of calls. Women are increasingly turning to us when they are in immediate danger, having suffered physical abuse and injuries, death threats and in urgent need of finding shelter. For the vast majority, calling the helpline is the first place that can advise them on where to get help. It is particularly alarming that violence is affecting children more and more, and that most women are not receiving adequate protection from law enforcement agencies”, said a helpline representative.
The All-Russian helpline is the country’s longest-running, free, confidential and 24-hour service for female victims of violence and operates under the auspices of the Resource Assistance Centre CSO.
