Russia: Guidance for lawyers on helping domestic violence victims
Guidance for lawyers on providing assistance to victims of domestic violence published online
16.04.2024
Article published on the ASI website
This manual can be used by lawyers and advocates, staff of support organisations and law school students.
The Centre for the Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence at the Consortium of Women’s CSOs has developed a practical manual for lawyers and advocates to help victims of domestic abuse. Those involved in the preparation of the guidance were:
- Tatyana Belova – a legal coordinator at the Consortium of Women’s CSOs and postgraduate Faculty of Law student at the National Research University Higher School of Economics;
- Mari Davtyan – a lawyer and Head of the Centre for the Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence and member of the UN Gender Theme Group in the Russian Federation;
- Daryana Gryaznova – a lawyer, an expert on violence against women and girls and Master of Human Rights Law (Queen Mary University of London);
- Anastasia Tyunyaeva – a family lawyer and expert in the protection of the rights of women and children from domestic and sexualised violence;
- Valentina Frolova – a lawyer and specialist in the protection of the rights of women and vulnerable groups.
There are 26 sections in the manual, including recommendations for working with victims at every stage, from the first meeting with the survivor and a general assessment of the situation to post-verdict follow-up.
In preparing the manual, an analysis was conducted of domestic violence cases and how lawyers represent the rights of women and child victims using material from Recommendations for Lawyers on Providing Assistance to Victims of Domestic Violence produced by Mari Davtyan and Valentina Frolova in 2018.
“High quality legal assistance for victims is key to solving the problem of domestic violence in Russia. We hope that this guidance will be of use to lawyers and advocates as well as for all professionals who provide support to victims of gender-based abuse”, said Mari Davtyan.
