HUMAN RIGHTS: Ominous Silence About Domestic Violence

By Kester Kenn Klomegah
MOSCOW, Apr 22 (IPS) Over a quarter of Armenian women have been hit or
beaten by a family member and about two thirds have experienced
psychological abuse, yet the state grossly fails to prevent, investigate
and punish domestic violence, say researchers and rights activists.

Levels of violence against women are roughly the same everywhere in the
ex-Soviet countries, they add.

"During my research on domestic violence in Belarus and Ukraine, I
did not see any significant differences in levels of violence. What
differs from country to country are the measures taken by the authorities
to combat the problem and social attitudes towards women including social
acceptance of violence," Heather McGill, a researcher with Amnesty
International (AI) told IPS

"In Ukraine and Armenia, the state offers minimal support to women.
The support available is generally provided by NGOs. The situation in
Belarus may be slightly better in that the state has preserved the rather
paternalistic social services and social control systems inherited from
the Soviet Union," McGill explains further.

Ara Sanjian, a director of the Armenian Research Center at the University
of Michigan-Dearborn in an interview with IPS, observes non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) supported by western donors are raising the issue of
violence against women in the country.

"I believe there should be a more stringent law to punish extreme
cases. However, it is more important to raise awareness of this issue, not
only among women, but also among men," she points out, adding:
"I have met educated women in Armenia, who see a western plot when
matters involving the privacy of an Armenian family like incest, family
violence, and particularly the use of contraception, are raised."

Ukraine is the only country of the three (Armenia and Belarus) that has
adopted a law on domestic violence. It came into effort in January 2002.
Initially this was not very effective because it included the concept of
"victim behaviour" – making it possible for policemen to avoid
prosecuting the abusers and to warn the victims instead.

McGill explains: "In one case, I spoke to a chief of police in the
Vinnytsya region in Belarus, who informed me that the concept of victim
behaviour was important, because if women were to alter their behaviour,
and for instance, ensure that the house was tidy and dinner was on the
table when the men came home, the men would no longer find it necessary to
beat them."

"Victim behaviour" was deleted from the law after AI launched a
campaign.

Laws to protect victims of domestic violence are notoriously difficult to
legislate. Nearly everywhere in the ex-Soviet countries, lawmakers are
very reluctant to discuss the problem.

A women’s organisation Doverie (which means trust), a centre for
social, psychological and legal assistance in Orsha Vitebsk region in
Belarus, was told not to discuss such "indecent things", an
activist who did not want to be identified, confided.

Everywhere the police are reluctant to deal with cases of domestic
violence, and often fail to respond adequately, or impose either minimal
sentences or fines for domestic abuse. As a punishment, fines are
counterproductive. It punishes the whole family by taking money out of the
family budget.

There is an ominous silence about violence against women by their husbands
and partners. Most ex-Soviet countries are parties to the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

In Armenia, McGill says, the institution of family is very strong.
Consequently, no one wants to talk about the abuse. Governments too fail
to take responsibility claiming domestic violence is a private matter.

"One of the biggest problems is that women themselves do not come
forward, they are ashamed to admit that they are victims and they fear
repercussions from their families and abusive partners; they also have
financial barriers, they cannot afford to move out and often, even if they
divorce, they end up living in the same flat as the abuser and continue to
be victimised," McGill said.

"Armenia (which is a more conservative society) has some traditions
that somehow prevent the issue from being publicised and discussed openly
in public. Women tend to hide the problem more than seek for help,"
Irina Alaverdyan, a public relations manger at the Policy Forum Armenia
(PFA), a think tank in Yerevan

The Armenian Ministry of Family and Youth runs a network of over 200
crisis centers throughout the country that offer counseling and legal
support to women. However, the actual quality of the support offered
differs according to the level of expertise of the staff, and there are no
state run shelters. The enormous restrictions faced by NGOs in Belarus
means that it is harder for NGOs to function, and the support offered by
NGOs is minimal.