Contributed by: Halyna Fedkovych, Ukraine National VAW Monitor
According to the official statistics provided by the Department of Public Safety, the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Reports on Implementation of the Law of Ukraine “About Prevention Violence In Family,” during 11 months in 2005, police sent to court 73,776 domestic violence cases as an administrative offence, and 70,947 case were accepted by courts. Courts decisions were the following: 8.2% of perpetrators received official warning, 77.9% - money penalty, 0.4% - correctional works, 13.1% - administrative arrest, and 0.4% - not guilty.
In practice, this means that in most cases, perpetrators are punished by a fine amounting to about 8 to 15 Euro, paid from the family budget. Such a small sum usually cannot stop the perpetrator from repeating violent acts. In the majority of domestic violence cases, victims suffer minor injuries that are insufficient to start the criminal procedure.
An administrative fine is the most common punishment for the perpetrator provided by court. Alternative mechanisms of punishment, such as administrative arrest for 15 days and correctional work for 1 month, as provided by Article 173.2 Accomplishing of Domestic Violence or non-fulfillment of the Protective Order of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences, are rarely used by courts. The reason could be the lack of knowledge and understanding about the problem of domestic violence among judges.
Compiled from: Report of Department of Public Safety, Ministry of
Internal Affairs of