Russian Duma Deputy drafting legislation to combat domestic violence
The Russian Duma Deputy is drafting legislation to combat domestic violence
06.06.2025
Article published on the ASI website
Amendments are being proposed to Part 2 of Article 115 of the Russian Federation’s Criminal Code on “Intentional infliction of minor bodily harm”.
TASS reports that the State Duma deputy Ksenia Goryacheva of the New People party is drafting the legislation, which will allow criminal proceedings to be initiated in cases of minor bodily harm without a victim’s statement.
This will mean adding a new qualifying criterion to Part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code, i.e. if the victim is dependent on the abuser (for example, materially, domestically or psychologically), allowing the crime to be subject to public rather than a private prosecution.
“If approved, the amendments will enable a criminal case to be brought without the need for a victim’s statement and cannot be dismissed if a survivor changes their mind, or is fearful of their safety. This will help protect those who are living in fear and cannot openly report abuse”, said the New People party’s press office as reported by TASS.
At present, cases under Part 2 of Article 115 can only be initiated with a victim’s statement and are dismissed if the parties involved have reconciled. Domestic violence victims are often dependent on their abusers financially, emotionally or domestically, which can result in them retracting their statement and once again left without protection.
“We have a duty to protect those who are unable to defend themselves. It’s not only about women but also the elderly, people with disabilities, children and dependents on abusers living in fear. This is not a “family matter” but one of life and safety”, said Goryacheva.
This initiative already has the support of Eva Merkacheva, a member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, who believes the legislation will help in preventing domestic violence and so avoid family tragedies.
In February, Goryacheva submitted another bill to the State Duma on the imposition of fines for promoting domestic violence but no date for its consideration has yet been set. According to a survey carried out last year, 89% of Russians supported the introduction of a law criminalising domestic violence, with only 6% against the idea.
