The Ministry of Internal Affairs presented an interactive map of assistance to victims of domestic violence
On the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, a separate section dedicated to the topic of preventing and combating domestic violence has been created. This was announced today, June 16, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko during a briefing with the participation of the leadership of the National Police and international partners of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“With the onset of the pandemic, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has taken a course to update tools and implement innovative solutions in the field of preventing and combating domestic violence, which is a demand of modern society. We do not stop and move on. Today we have a great opportunity to present an interactive map of assistance and a separate section on the updated website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is fully dedicated to the theme of preventing and countering domestic violence, developed and created with the support of the ECSC,” the Deputy Minister said.
The map accumulates all the necessary information about the services that can be useful in the event of domestic violence. It is also interactive. A person who will use this service will be able to make the most optimal and convenient route, find out the work schedule and contact phone of the necessary assistance institution.
“We do not stop there and take decisive steps to ensure that the very phrase “domestic violence” remains in the past, and any manifestations of it in society are considered not only unacceptable, but also shameful,” said Kateryna Pavlichenko.
The next steps of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and NPU will be the release of a separate application for victims of domestic violence; update of the chatbot, which will provide the ability to call the police using text messages from the messenger; the introduction of electronic monitoring tools that will dress the abuser in accordance with the court decision and provide tracking movement of it.
“We want every person who suffers or witnesses domestic violence to report it to the police. We are improving the response mechanisms, in each city there should be a unit or an authorized police officer who will promptly provide assistance,” said Deputy Head of the National Police — Chief of Patrol Police Oleksandr Facevych.
He also spoke about the practical part of the development of the NPU on combating domestic violence.
“In 5 months of this year, the police received more than 75,000 reports and reports of domestic violence. The number of appeals is growing, this indicates an increase in trust in the police, as well as due to quarantine restrictions, during which the victim spends more time with the abuser. 61 thousand protocols were drawn up and 45 thousand people were brought to justice, again - more than 6 thousand violators. During this period, 1780 criminal proceedings were opened. The police compiled 19 thousand urgent prohibitory orders,” Oleksandr Fatsevich noted.
The deputy head of the National Police also informed about the work of specialized groups to combat domestic violence: “In 2017, together with our partners, we began to create specialized groups to combat domestic violence. In 2019, 45 such groups were launched in 27 cities. In January of this year, during the reform of the territorial bodies of the NPU, we carried out territorial changes and created 29 full-time sectors to combat domestic violence, and also began work on the creation of additional freelance groups in towns and settlements.”
There are currently 84 anti-domestic violence groups operating in 60 cities. During 2021, more than 37 thousand visits were carried out, during which 15,800 victims were identified, more than 7 thousand orders were issued, 12 thousand administrative protocols were drawn up, 767 criminal proceedings were opened.
Deputy Head of the EU Advisory Mission, Frederick Weslau, praised the efforts made by the National Police to build the capacities of personnel in the prevention and response to domestic violence, as well as the creation of appropriate units in all regions of the country.
“In recent years, Ukraine has taken very decisive steps to respond effectively and prevent domestic violence. We are glad that our joint efforts have led to such results. Such innovative ideas help to overcome the problem. We are ready to provide our further support in this direction,” he said.
In turn, the representative of the UN Population Fund in Ukraine Pavlo Zamostian noted that in recent years, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the NPU managed to create an effective system of response and prevention of violence. According to him, evidence of this is the increase in appeals to the police.
Recall that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already begun studying the possibilities of introducing electronic controls that would track the offender's implementation of restrictive measures.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
