The problem of violence against women in Russia to be discussed at the United Nations

28.06.2021

A report written by Russian human rights organisations will be discussed at a session of the UN in October.

Human rights activists say that Russia is actively restricting legal protection for women who are victims of violence, a striking example of which is the decriminalisation of the article on assault and battery. Women’s rights activists are also being constantly intimidated by the government and private individuals.

“The authorities have failed to investigate serious threats made against women’s rights defenders and have actively hindered the work of major women’s rights CSOs, making unfair use of the law on foreign agents”, the report says.

According to human rights activists, there are 16.5 million victims of domestic violence every year in Russia, including survivors of physical (3.9 million), psychological/verbal (11.8 million) and sexual (658,000) violence.

The report discusses five themes: Domestic and sexual violence, sexual harassment, abuse in the form of harmful traditional practices (North Caucasus) and violence and harassment of activists and CSOs when carrying out their work.

The report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was prepared by Legal Initiative (an organisation listed on the ‘foreign agents’ register), Zona Prava, a Consortium of Women’s CSOs, and the Anna Centre for Women Victims of Domestic Violence (an organisation also listed on the ‘foreign agents’ register).

Source: https://www.asi.org.ru/news/2021/06/28/diskriminacziyu-zhenshhin-v-rossii-obsudyat-v-oon/