The Ministry of Internal Affairs and UNFPA have identified directions for further cooperation on combating domestic violence
Prospective areas of cooperation were discussed on March 20, during a meeting of the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Kateryna Pavlichenko with the Director of the Regional Office of the United Nations Population Fund in the Countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia Florence Bauer.
Among the main ones:
- Strengthening the capacities of National Police units working to combat domestic and gender-based violence in Ukraine;
- training of employees of the National Police of Ukraine and operators of dispatching services “Service 112” and “102”, which accept calls of victims of domestic and gender-based violence;
- Strengthening expert support for the implementation of legislative changes.
A separate vector of cooperation will be work with veterans and members of their families.
Currently, the Ministry and the Foundation are implementing the project “Supporting the police to create an effective response model to domestic and gender-based violence in the context of war and in the transition period”. Within the framework of such cooperation, police officers of Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions will undergo appropriate training. During the meeting, the parties agreed that by the end of April these units would receive all the necessary material and technical support for the work.
Ekaterina Pavlichenko expressed gratitude for the many years of cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Fund. Thanks to years of joint work in both institutions, a high level of institutional memory has already been formed, which made it possible to build a comprehensive system of response to cases of domestic violence.
“Due to the war in Ukraine, many people lost loved ones, housing, jobs. Tensions in society are expected to increase and the intensity of violent behavior increases. Our ministry takes into account these and other trends in the analysis of the security situation. According to the forecasts of the Analytical Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for 2024, the number of administrative offenses is expected to increase to 21%, and criminal to 30%,” said Kateryna Pavlichenko.
During the two months of 2024, 56% more criminal offenses related to domestic violence were registered in Ukraine. Slightly lower growth dynamics among administrative offenses, detected by 21% more than in 2023.
The deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also spoke about legislative initiatives related to the adaptation of laws to the requirements of the Istanbul Convention and the introduction of electronic means of controlling offenders.
“I had the opportunity to communicate with various services, but the work of the police is most impressive. Today, the training of police officers and the development of the capabilities of the National Police are all extremely effective strategies that we can really refer to as an example for other countries,” said Florence Bauer.
The director of the UNFPA Regional Office in Eastern Europe and Central Asia noted the high level of Ukrainian institutions in dealing with the victims. She expressed support for the initiatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and assured that the UN Population Fund will primarily focus on the needs of the ministry system.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
