“Violence.net”: contrary to expectations, no increase in the number of complaints due to domestic violence was recorded during the 2 years of war in Ukraine

Human rights activists believe that it could begin when the military returns en masse from the front.

Contrary to expectations, during the first 2 years of the war in Ukraine, Nasiliyu.net employees did not record a sharp increase in the number of requests from Russian women regarding cases of domestic violence. This is stated in a study by the human rights center.

The study was conducted in January-February 2024 - 17 employees of Nasiliyu.net gave in-depth interviews in which they talked about the number of requests, as well as their content.

The authors note that the fighting has not yet significantly affected the number of requests from victims of domestic violence, although a slight increase was recorded in the summer of 2023, when Violence.net launched online help throughout Russia.

According to human rights activists, there has been no surge in domestic violence because most of the men involved in the fighting have not yet returned home from the front lines.

“The mass effect will most likely be delayed and long-term, when most of the fighting men return from the front,” the organization’s staff say.

According to them, many Russian women are also afraid to contact Nasiliya.net, since the Center has been recognized as a “foreign agent.”

In addition, human rights activists note that not all appeals regarding participants in the war in Ukraine can be identified. An employee of the Center emphasizes that some women who apply complain of violence from lovers who work on a “shift basis.” In her opinion, this formulation may also refer to the Russian military.

The center provides examples of requests from victims of domestic violence after February 24, 2022:

• A partner/relative calls from the hospital, promising to kill him when he returns from the front.

• A brother returning from a war zone beats and terrorizes his wife.

• The man began to show aggression towards his Ukrainian wife and kicked her out of the house.

• Some women ask for help with developing an action plan because their husbands have gone to the front and they finally have the opportunity to leave an abusive relationship.

The authors of the study emphasize that the Violence.net Center receives many applications from victims from cities with a population of over a million; the record holders for the number of complaints are Moscow, Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar Territory, Ufa and Kazan.

At the same time, human rights activists believe that residents of the regions are in a more vulnerable position - there are more cases of violence in alcoholic and drug-addicted families. In addition, victims there are often in difficult financial situations.

Also, women living in the regions often do not have any social support, and their parents refuse to help them. In addition, large regions of the Russian Federation have developed an infrastructure to help victims of domestic violence: crisis centers, helping organizations, and foundations. In many regions of Russia, there are few or no crisis centers, and government organizations often work for family reunification, human rights activists from Violence.net emphasize.