What happened after Russia decriminalised domestic violence : a long article in The New Humanist, which provides some useful analysis as well as background to the sentiment behind the law. According to Russian government statistics, around 40 women a day die at the hands of their partners, a rate 37 times higher than in the US.
The law limiting criminal penalties to cases of broken bones or concussion was proposed by a woman and passed easily through the Duma last year:
The law was proposed by Yelena Mizulina, Chairman of the Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs, to limit “state meddling” in the family and to protect “family values”. The ultra-conservative lawmaker, who was behind the controversial 2012 law banning “gay propaganda” and who has advocated to end women’s access to free abortions, said it was ridiculous that a family member could be labelled a “criminal” for a “slap”. She has also publicly declared: “a man beating his wife is less offensive than when a woman humiliates a man.” According to Russia’s state polling agency, 59 per cent of Russians support the law, with just 17 per cent “fully against it”.
It used to be like this in the UK 50 years ago. What happened behind closed doors was of little interest to the police unless someone was killed. The British state would sometimes “meddle”, as Mizulina puts it, if a child was badly hurt. But Russia has gone backwards.
Clicky link to the New Humanist article.
Also relevant, and the BBC documentary is still available to view:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/2849609-Domestic-Violence-Decriminalised-in-Russia-thoughts