Prevention of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is most often hidden. Victims of domestic violence often do not seek help from law enforcement agencies, due to many factors – unwillingness to "air dirty laundry", the victim's dependence on the aggressor, the common belief that "if he beats you, he loves you."

However, with the aim of preventing domestic violence, the legislator has granted the prosecutor the right, depending on the severity of the bodily injuries inflicted, to initiate administrative proceedings under Article 9.1 (intentional infliction of bodily harm and other violent acts or violation of a protective order) of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses or to initiate criminal cases under Articles 149 (intentional infliction of less grievous bodily harm), 154 (torture), 153 (intentional infliction of minor bodily harm), 186 (threat of murder, infliction of grievous bodily harm or destruction of property) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, even in the absence of a statement from the person affected by the actions of the domestic aggressor.

Thus, in an on-site court session in the agro-town of Verkhovye, the court heard a criminal case initiated by the district prosecutor under Article 186 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, against a local resident who, on one day in August of this year, holding a utility knife with an extended blade, verbally threatened his wife with murder. The accused himself remembered the incident poorly, as he was heavily intoxicated. However, the collected evidence allowed the reconstruction of the events, and by court verdict, taking into account the position of the state prosecutor, the domestic brawler was ordered to perform 240 hours of community service and undergo a course of anti-alcohol treatment.

In total, during the past period of 2018, the district prosecutor initiated 5 criminal cases against domestic aggressors.

Prosecutor of Beshenkovichi District

Junior Justice Counselor A.A. Starchenko