Nine victims of domestic violence during quarantine evacuated from Northern Caucasus

The number of appeals for legal assistance from women of Northern Caucasus who suffered from domestic violence has doubled during the period of self-isolation. According to the report prepared by the "Legal Initiative" and human rights organizations, not all victims of domestic violence addressed doctors and the police, but appeals to the law enforcement bodies did not help the victims.

According to advocates Olga Karacheva and Svetlana Gromova, authors of the report released by the "Legal Initiative" and human rights organizations, it became much more difficult for victims "to go to the police, find a shelter, and even just leave home" during the quarantine period. Meanwhile, Russia has not developed any comprehensive approach to prevent domestic violence and protect victims of it.

"There is an increased incidence of sexual violence, for example, marital rape," the report stated while describing the situation in Northern Caucasus.

In April and May, the human rights defenders evacuated from Northern Caucasus nine women who suffered from domestic violence and were at the greatest risk. Meanwhile, NGOs pointed to "the intensification of harassment and intimidation as forms of domestic violence."

In July, the "Caucasian Knot" reported about an example of the authorities' indifference to domestic violence in Northern Caucasus. Gullya Kazanbieva, a resident of Makhachkala, appealed to the police, being harassed by her former husband, who severely beat her, but investigators classified the violence under a too lenient article.