Sexual violence in basements. Horrible stories of people who were kept prisoners for years

One of the most terrible crimes against sexual integrity is rape.

It seems that sexual violence can be applied to a person of any gender. But that's not true.

What is meant by this term according to the legislation of the Russian Federation? We will tell you in our article what responsibility the rapist faces.

Rape concept

Severity

Any crime aimed at sexual integrity is classified and characterized by severity.

Rape is no exception. The law considers it as a grave and especially grave act. It is the degree of severity that will determine the punishment for the rapist.

Punishment for rape

Criminal liability comes upon. The offender faces the following sanctions:

1. Without aggravating circumstances

For “simple” rape without aggravating circumstances, the prison term will be from 3 to 6 years.

1. With aggravating circumstances

If it is established that there were several rapists; woman or cause harm to health; rape was carried out with extreme cruelty; the victim was infected with sexually transmitted diseases, then imprisonment from 4 to 10 years is guaranteed.

Such acts are considered serious.

For especially serious cases, more severe punishment is established. Imprisonment from 8 to 15 years is threatened for rape of a minor or if the victim becomes infected with HIV.

The offender will be imprisoned for a long time (from 12 to 20 years) if the rape results in the death of the victim, or if it was committed against a young girl (under 14 years old).

Repeated rape of a minor victim is punishable by up to life imprisonment.

Criminal prosecution

In order for law enforcement agencies to take measures to apprehend a criminal and begin the investigative process, several conditions must be met:

1. Victim Statement

The victim of the rapist’s actions needs to write a statement to the police. After this, a criminal case will be opened and an investigation will begin.

1. Establishing all the circumstances of the case

To do this, they will interrogate not only the victim and the perpetrator, but also possible witnesses. The woman will also need to pass, which will become strong evidence in court of the guilt or non-involvement of the accused in the crime.

1. Consideration of the case in court

The case will be considered by the city (district) court. When passing a sentence, the court will take into account all the signs and circumstances of the crime, the danger of the act to the health and life of the victim.

In any case, when detained, you should not give evidence without involving a human rights defender. Only an experienced lawyer will help you get out of such a difficult situation. He will find witnesses who can confirm your alibi at the time of the crime. The lawyer will also insist on conducting a forensic medical examination, which will confirm the absence of your traces on the victim’s body, or completely exclude the fact of the act.

Summary

Rape victims are often ashamed to go to the police because they do not want to make it public that they were violated. Or they are afraid that criminals will carry out their threats and harm her health or loved ones.

Such cases can drag on for years, but the criminal should not escape responsibility.

If you have become a victim of rape, false accusation and you need the help of a human rights defender, contact our lawyers. They will provide not only advisory services, but will also represent your interests at all stages of the case.

PHOTO Getty Images

To begin with, I want to define two concepts.

What is violence?

Any form of influence of one person on another in order to force him, against his will, to do what the first person needs. The key points here are: “any form”, “purpose” (that is, intentionality) and “against the will”. I do not believe that the definition of violence should be, as the WHO definition states, “bodily injury, death, psychological trauma, developmental disabilities or harm of any kind.”

What is a personal psychological boundary?

The line between “I/mine” and “not-me/alien”. “I/mine” is fully and undividedly subject to the ownership rights of the bearer of this “I”, and no one else can dispose of it. Another thing is that people have personal boundaries of different widths and, accordingly, different ideas about what they can control and what they cannot control. For example, if formally my personal time/place does not feel like “mine,” then my time/place can easily be taken over by another, and I will not show resistance. Only that which is within the psychological boundaries is protected (by aggression). If they are terribly tight, then it is very easy to squeeze out this person in life. In extreme cases, “I/mine” does not even formally extend to one’s own body.

I sometimes suggest that clients conduct this experiment in pairs. One of the “partners” chooses a place in the room and mentally draws a boundary around himself, within which “I” is located. After he does this (and does not tell anyone where the border is), the second one begins to approach, and the task of the first one is to stop him as soon as he approaches the border. And here various phenomena of interaction between two people appear. Someone approaching is very worried about the comfort of the person waiting and stops himself, sometimes a few steps before the mental boundary. One of those waiting easily said, “Stop, you can’t go any further,” and the one who approached calmly stopped. There were situations when the person waiting, as the second “partner” approached, began to get nervous and worried, but did not let anyone know that, dear, you had crossed the border. Some approaching people noticed nervousness and slowed down themselves (or walked less and less confidently), some calmly walked straight towards the collision, and at that moment those waiting began to back away, but still did not want to stop those who were clearly invaded beyond mentally established boundaries. There was one extreme case when an approaching man simply ignored the woman’s words and gestures “stop!”, explaining that “I wanted to approach, and I did what I wanted, and why would she dictate to me what I should do, but what not? In the minds of this man there were absolutely no other people’s personal boundaries as a fact, even when he knew at the level of his “head” that these boundaries existed (and in response to the remark that he had now committed almost real rape, he waved it off: “Rape is absolutely another thing, I’m not some kind of pervert!”).

After this experiment, the question was inevitably asked: “How did you feel when your partner approached?” And also - “What happened to you when you approached?”; “How did you deal with your experiences?”; “What made you tolerate discomfort, but not react to the invasion of personal boundaries?”; “And what prompted you to get closer and closer, despite the fact that you understood/felt that you had already climbed into someone else’s territory?”

In a discussion, for many partners, the real discovery is often that they BOTH took an active part in creating an uncomfortable situation, if there was one. There were practically no simply “victims” and simply “rapists,” with the exception of that example with a complete disregard for the woman’s response, where the roles were clearly defined. And so, it was not always possible to make a strict division into “good” and “bad”. The answers to the questions asked above varied. And they provide clues to where healthy interaction ends and violence begins. There are several options.

1. Hypersensitivity to other people's boundaries

In this case, people do not come into contact with another person at all and do not indicate their interests/needs aimed at the other person, because they are afraid of making him uncomfortable. “Hypersensitivity” is often possessed by people who have lived for a long time with those whose personal boundaries are exorbitantly inflated and any “extra” movement by others is perceived as an attack. Hence the habit of putting pressure on oneself and “hyper-respecting” others, completely suppressing one’s own initiative. The result is leaky personal boundaries that are easy to crush or ignore because they make others uncomfortable.

2. Ability to contact at the border

Two people are approaching, their personal boundaries are colliding, and they are making it known. Here is mine, and here is mine, here are my desires, and here are my desires. Normal demarcation, “grinding in” occurs. It is possible, however, only when both partners talk about themselves, their needs and desires, and at the same time have a choice of which needs of the partner they are ready to satisfy and which they are not. During contact, people constantly test each other's boundaries. For example, doing something that you think would be nice for someone else without asking them is testing a boundary. If the other reacted with anger, you have definitely crossed the line, “done good,” and here it is important to step back and decide where the line will be drawn. But what happened is not violence, it’s just a violation of personal boundaries, which can happen to everyone from time to time.
As an example, I’ll give you a story about an absurd and very inconvenient gift. The grandmother gave her little granddaughter a live rabbit, without taking into account that the mother would have to take care of the rabbit. Which she did for several years, but is this situation abusive? Mom did not refuse to accept this rabbit, choosing the child’s joy over her own needs. There is nothing pleasant in this situation, but it is not violence: there was a choice to refuse, however, the price for it was quite high, and the boundaries were not defined at that time. It is necessary to take into account that the situation of choice can be false: you seem to be asked about something, but the answer is ignored and the person still acts in his own way. So, contact at the border sometimes leads to us violating other people's boundaries, and this is normal. Only those who do not make contact at all do not commit violations.
There is another option for rapprochement. When both partners, approaching each other, ask: “How do you feel at such a distance? Can I stand closer? In ordinary life, this means paying attention to the experiences and needs of another. How to make your partner unhappy? Forget that he has his own territory and in this territory he sets the rules himself. You can try to agree on new rules, but don’t push them through. From the moment of pushing (begging, ignoring), the dialogue stops and violence begins.

3. Ignoring clearly defined boundaries of others

If someone clearly expressed: “this is possible with me, but this is not possible,” and the second continues to do (or try to do) what he wants, violence begins from this point. And there are no other options here. “I don’t want sex today” - “Well, okay, what’s it worth to you!” From the moment you heard “I don’t want sex!” – all further attempts to initiate sex are attempts to invade territory that is closed. Why it is closed (why a person does not want sex) is another question, and with the ability for contact at the border of both partners, it can be resolved. And defensive aggression here is a normal and natural reaction.
“Good deeds” often also become forms of violence. I know a story in which a father decided to “bless” his daughter, and while she was on vacation, in two weeks a team of workers hired by the father completely remodeled her apartment in accordance with her father’s ideas. Nobody asked the daughter, of course, whether she wanted it or not, and she had no choice - to accept or not to accept. She was presented with a fact. The father simply satisfied his need at the expense of his daughter. In essence, this is symbolic rape, that is, penetration deep into personal (even intimate) territory without the permission of the victim, and even in her “unconscious” state. IN in this case boundaries were clearly defined and they were violated. Food violence, financial violence - any form of interaction in which one of the partners does to the other what he wants, ignoring the will of the other, is violence. Tactless remarks and comparisons, devaluation, unsolicited advice - all this, being a violation of personal boundaries, is not violence in itself, but becomes it when it was directly said: do not compare me with Zhenya or Sasha, it offends me. I don’t want you to give me advice, if I need it, I’ll ask for it.
One of the border zones here is flirting. The rapprochement of a man and a woman implies penetration beyond boundaries, and here sensitivity to each other, to reactions to each cautious step towards each other, is very important. And simply grabbing a woman or a man by the “interesting places” leaves no choice and is violence with all the ensuing reactions to it. The partner does not always have the opportunity and resources to resist or react in time, but there is always the opportunity to directly indicate his attitude.

4. Vague or undefined personal boundaries

One of the partners or both cannot clearly indicate their attitude to this or that fact. For example, a man wants sex, and a woman responds very vaguely by saying “maybe”, “let’s see”, “well-o-o-o”, “probably” and so on. And non-verbal messages are also ambiguous. These vague words and gestures do not mean either refusal or consent, and, in fact, the interpretation is left to the initiator of sex. And he can interpret it from the positions that are desirable for him, which is natural. “Yeah, we need to be more persistent, she’s waiting for it!” (She didn’t indicate in any way what she was waiting for.) It’s not clear where the flags are. In the absence of direct feedback, people often begin to look for some external criteria that would allow them to understand their partner. And among them there may be stereotypes about “correct” male or female behavior, cultural norms (offer three times - refuse twice, show modesty, agree on the third), advice from friends and girlfriends. Focusing on external criteria does not lead to anything good: it is not real people who come into contact, but walking stereotypes. Is the man's continued initiative then considered violence? No. He chooses an option of action that is acceptable to him in uncertain conditions, sometimes even based on past experience: when, having taken the initiative, he did not meet with a response, but having stopped showing it, he suddenly faces resentment...

Warning!

Accusing the abused person of being to blame for another person's violence against them is unacceptable and serves as a “great” excuse for the perpetrator of violence. The perpetrator of violence bears full guilt and responsibility for it, and regarding the victims, we can only talk about his/her responsibility for protecting personal boundaries, but not for violence.

The reasons why it is difficult to define your boundaries are different. Some are afraid of offending, others are simply afraid for their life and health because of past experience. Someone is manipulating, playing their own games. And someone simply cannot find the psychological resource to resist violence or to mark their boundaries, so the very fact of knowing how to protect your boundaries may not help. Finding these resources is often the goal of psychotherapy.

We have probably already come to terms with the fact that violence is inevitable and it threatens each of us, regardless of gender, age, skin color or hair. Dealing with this is incredibly difficult, but still possible. And the main weapon in this battle is information: adequate, correct, accurate. The myths and speculations that surround this area of ​​our lives only work to the advantage of rapists, so we will try to dispel the remaining misconceptions.

If this happened

* Get to a safe place.

* Contact the police immediately.

* Maintain the possibility of carrying out the examination: do not wash, do not change clothes.

*Go to an emergency room.

*Contact a victim support center.

Myth: Rape is rare.

Reality: Every hour in the United States, 71 women are raped. In Russia, such statistics are not yet kept, but according to preliminary data, this figure is much higher.

Myth: People rape only at night and in dark alleys...

Reality: Rape can happen ANYWHERE. Any time of the day or night. At home, on the street, in public places, at work (more than 5,000 women were subjected to violence in the workplace).

Myth: If violence is unavoidable, relax and enjoy it.

Reality: Rape is an event with few comparable negative consequences. About a third of all victims of sexual violence are subject to post-traumatic syndrome throughout their lives and will not be able to have a normal sex life or find a family. Many simply commit suicide.

Myth: Only strangers can rape.

Reality: More than half of victims knew their rapists well. About 20-30% attack from around the corner.

Myth: If the victim did not resist, she did not mind.

Reality: It does not matter whether the victim had the opportunity to fight or not. Many victims are too scared and shocked to resist. Even if the rapist does not threaten with a weapon or use overt force, it still qualifies as rape. Such force may include alcohol, weapons, intimidation, or emotional blackmail. Any violence against a person without his consent is rape.

Myth: A husband cannot rape his wife.

Reality: Most women who are victims of sexual violence were raped by their own husbands. The fact that you are married does not give your spouse the right to demand sex from you against your will.

Myth: A woman cannot rape a woman.

Reality: This happens and is called “korophilia” (from the Greek koros - girl, doll) - a type of lesbianism with a selective attraction to girls. Mockery and humiliation of their victims, sophisticated torture and sexual abuse - all these are symptoms of a terrible disease called corophilia. The defenselessness, physical and psychological weakness of the victims provoke female cowbirds to various kinds of cruelty, which very often end in murder. Criminal perversion, in which a female criminal achieves orgasm by performing a male role in a violent act, usually occurs in even more brutal forms than male rape, and is aimed at very young girls.

Myth: If a man rapes his fellow man, then he is gay...

Reality: Not really. The most important misconception is that men in “ordinary” life are not raped. This can supposedly happen only if a man finds himself in conditions of isolation, for example in a prison, where there are no women - accordingly, the only possible object of violence in such conditions is a man. This is wrong. Men rape men for the same reasons they rape women - for the feeling of undivided power or to vent anger. They are not looking for sexual gratification. In most cases of male rape, neither the victim nor the rapist is homosexual. Among rapists, only 7% are gay, the rest are heterosexual.

Myth: All rapists are necessarily mentally ill people.

Reality: In many other areas of life, their behavior is no different from other people. They may well be married, have a professional career, have and raise children. Of course, rape is by no means a normal form of behavior. Anyone who commits this type of crime is burdened with serious psychological or other problems.

Myth: Rapists choose their future victims in advance.

Reality: Most rapists choose their victims at random, without targeting a specific type. For example, they do not, as a rule, try to choose a victim who is most attractive to them or dressed provocatively. Instead, they are more likely to choose a crime situation that will give them the opportunity to get away with it.

On April 10, a round table was held at the Moscow City Hall“New legislative initiatives to address the problem of domestic violence”, where ways to solve one of the serious problems of our society were discussed. We went to a round table and also asked experts about what domestic violence really is, where it comes from and how to fight it at the public and state levels. In the next article we will talk about what to do if this problem directly affects you or someone you know.

For assistance in preparing the material and consultation, the editors would like to thank the director of the independent charity center for helping survivors of sexual violence “Sisters” Maria Mokhova, specialists from the national center for violence prevention “ANNA” and Natalia Khodyreva, candidate of psychological sciences and founder of the St. Petersburg crisis center for women “INGO”.

Text: Maria Servetnik, Olga Strahovskaya

What's happened
"domestic violence"?

There are several options for naming the problem: “domestic violence”, “family” or “partner violence”. The phrase itself implies that this violence occurs between people in a personal relationship - spouses or partners, sometimes ex-partners and not necessarily living together, regardless of whether the couple is heterosexual or homosexual. It is very important to distinguish between family conflict, which is one-time in nature, and partner violence - regularly recurring or increasing incidents that follow a certain pattern.

A conflict, no matter how acute it may be, moves into the category of domestic violence only when it occurs in the same way at least twice. The fundamental difference is that family conflict is local, isolated and arises from a specific problem, which is theoretically possible to resolve, for example, with the help of a psychologist or lawyer. Simply put, conflict has a beginning and an end. Partner violence is a system of behavior of one family member towards another, which is based on power and control. It has no specific reason, other than the fact that one of the partners seeks to control the behavior and feelings of the other and suppress him as a person on different levels.

What types of home
Does violence exist?

Domestic violence in society is generally understood to be primarily physical violence, aka assault. Indeed, this is one of the most common types of domestic violence: according to the ANNA crisis center, every third Russian woman is beaten by her husband or partner. Physical violence includes not only beatings, but also restraint, strangulation, infliction of burns and other methods of causing bodily harm, including murder. However, there are other types of domestic violence: sexual, psychological and economic.

Sexual Domestic violence is coercion into sexual activity through force, blackmail or threats. According to studies conducted in Russia in 1996 and 2000, approximately every fourth Russian woman is forced by her husband to have sexual relations against their will. This is directly related to the idea of ​​sex as a “marital duty” that a woman must perform regardless of her desire, and the general idea of ​​the dynamics of sexual relationships in which the woman “gives” and the man “takes.” Psychological violence is systematic insults, blackmail, threats, manipulation. A subset of this is violence involving children, ranging from using children as hostages to threatening to harm children if a partner does not comply. Economic- this is the deprivation of one of the partners of financial freedom, from concealing income to situations in which one partner completely takes the salary of the other and does not allow him to participate in financial decisions. The problem is that physical or sexual violence can be proven and are crimes, but economic and psychological violence are not. It is not uncommon for one partner to use all types of violence at the same time.

Why is it considered
what about domestic violence?
Are women mostly affected?

The types of violence that can be identified (i.e., physical and sexual) mainly affect women. According to statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for 2013, women make up 91.6% of victims of violent crimes against their spouse. “Among the victims of violence from spouses or partners, the number of women exceeds the number of men by approximately 9 times. Women suffer 8 times more serious bodily and other injuries from their partners than men. Male violence most often has a practical purpose or an expressive one (expression of emotions). Women are more likely to resort to physical violence when they feel backed into a corner and are desperate to prevent further abuse. It is extremely rare that violence from women is systematic, purposeful, and constant,” explains Natalia Khodyreva.

On the other hand, women are more prone to methods of emotional and economic violence. For example, a wife may strive to control all spending in the family and systematically humiliate her husband because of low earnings. However, a woman can also be a physical aggressor, for example, towards children. A hierarchy of power may arise in the family, where the man is the strongest, abuses power and uses violence, and women, in turn, use it against children.

Is there a connection between
domestic violence and financial
and the social level of the family?

There is an opinion that only dysfunctional families are susceptible to domestic violence, while wealthy and educated couples do not have this problem. This is wrong. According to data conducted by the Moscow State University Women's Council, 61.6% of dysfunctional families and 38.4% of prosperous families face domestic violence. At the same time, in families with low income and a low level of education, problems are more often associated with alcoholism and the use of physical violence. In families with a high level of education but low income, economic and psychological violence (sophisticated psychological manipulation and so on) is more developed. Domestic violence in high-income families is most often physical and sexual.

The point is also that in dysfunctional families the problem of violence is more noticeable, since these families may be visited by social workers or guardianship, for example, because of the child’s behavior. Domestic homicides of a partner also occur more often in marginalized families, for which the “drinking - quarreling - knife” pattern is eerily typical. Similar stories penetrate the press and become material for reporting, with photographs, names, and private stories. It is impossible to get into the “status” layers in this way: until it comes to brutal reprisals or murder, no one suspects anything.

What are the reasons
domestic violence?

The main and most dangerous misconception that exists in society regarding the problem of domestic violence is that the reason lies in the actions of the injured partner, and that the rapist was “provoked.” This automatically raises the erroneous question “for what?” and the tendency to seek justification for the aggressor. It is necessary to remember that there is no and cannot be a behavioral reason for systematic violence - only the rapist’s tendency to aggression and the manifestation of his power over his partner is to blame.

This tendency directly depends on upbringing and the pattern of family relationships that a person “inherited” by observing the relationships of his parents, as well as on the attitudes that prevail in society as a whole, and in particular in the environment of the couple. For example, the likelihood of domestic violence increases if a woman and her friends prefer not to discuss the topic of violence or seek help, and if the husband and his friends do not condemn the use of force. The problem is rooted both in the taboo nature of the topic of domestic violence and in the patriarchal nature of Russian culture, enshrined even at the level of “folk wisdom” and traditional values: “A man is the head of everything,” “Let a wife fear her husband.” The family economy is also structured in such a way that with the birth of children, a woman often falls into a state of dependence on who brings money into the house.

“The idea that a woman “gets into trouble” is, unfortunately, common among many of my psychologist colleagues,” notes Natalia Khodyreva. According to her, Russian society is characterized by a militaristic consciousness - it is believed that any disobedience must be punished with physical punishment or shouting. Therefore, rapists are not inclined to see problems in their behavior.

How is domestic violence different?
from anyone else and why does this problem need a special approach?

First, in cases of domestic violence, the injured partner is in constant contact with the abuser and is often economically dependent on him. You don’t have to see the person who hit you on the street every day and sleep in the same room. In a situation of domestic violence, victims often do not have the opportunity to find housing, and constantly communicating with the abuser means being subjected to violence again. Women in unhealthy relationships are also put under pressure by social stereotypes that prevent them from breaking off relations with the rapist: “children need a father,” “don’t destroy the family.” Another dangerous misconception that follows from the tradition of blaming the victim is the illusion that if a woman or man behaves “better” and finds an approach to their partner, then the violence against them will stop.

There are also psychological factors - after a long relationship with constant pressure, threats, often beatings, everyday Stockholm syndrome develops. As a psychological defense, the victim begins to believe that the aggressor will take pity if he unconditionally fulfills his demands, and tries to justify his actions by building an emotional connection with him.

How is the problem of domestic violence
Is it decided at the legislative level?

Unfortunately, on this moment There is no special law on domestic violence in Russia. Most often, articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation are applied to situations of domestic violence: 111 (“Intentional infliction of grievous harm to health”), 112 (“Intentional infliction of moderate harm to health”), 115 (“Intentional infliction of slight harm to health”) 116 (“Battery”) and 119 (“Threat of killing or causing grievous bodily harm”). According to a study conducted by the ANNA Center, under current legislation it is very difficult to prove cases of domestic violence, even physical violence. The problem is compounded by the fact that victims are often not interested in bringing a case against their partner, especially if they feel that there is still an opportunity to save the family. People turn to the police because they want to stop the violence “in the moment,” in the hope that it will never happen again.

But even if the injured partner is ready to follow through, obstacles arise. Cases under Articles 115 and 116 relate to cases of private prosecution, that is, criminal prosecution is initiated not by the prosecutor on behalf of the state, but by the victim herself or her representatives. “The victim must act as the prosecution herself - collect evidence, order an examination, collect testimony from witnesses, and so on. Meanwhile, in reality, a woman is often unable to even submit an application without the support of a lawyer - it is not accepted the first time. And if the case comes to court, they try to reconcile her with the rapist, and instead of protection, the woman receives a new circle of violence,” noted Alexey Parshin, a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association and a member of the working group for the development of the bill “On the prevention and prevention of domestic violence.” , at a round table dedicated to discussing the bill.

In addition, in Russian legislation there is no concept of a protective order - a court order that prohibits or limits the contact of the rapist with the victim. It turns out that a person who has been subjected to domestic violence is most likely defenseless on all sides.

What do they do
crisis centers?

Victims need psychological rehabilitation programs, social housing, protection programs in case of high risks of death threats, compensation for damage, programs for children who witness domestic violence. Now in Russia there are state and non-profit organizations involved in helping victims of domestic violence, but there are very few of them - of all social institutions, less than 0.5% deal with this problem. At the same time, social institutions are being “optimized,” shelters and emergency telephone lines are being closed. Most government agencies can only provide assistance to people who have registration in the desired city or region, while victims without registration are more likely to have nowhere to go. You can get to the hospital of the Moscow “Crisis Center for Assistance to Women and Children” only with a referral from social protection. As a result, victims find themselves without state protection at the most difficult moment - immediately after an act of violence. In this situation, you can apply for asylum only to non-state crisis centers.

For men, who are most often the initiators of violence, there are preventive programs around the world. Within their framework, boys and young men are explained what consent to sexual contact is, respect for women and girls, what actions are violent and why. Psychocorrection courses are conducted for adult male aggressors. In Russia there is only one such course - the voluntary program “Alternative to Violence”, which is conducted by “Men of the 21st Century”.

How to improve
situation in Russia?

This is a long-term systematic work, which includes both the introduction of the relevant law and its implementation, as well as the education of specialists and the entire society. Work is needed to improve the quality of life, aimed at the safety and health of citizens. It is important to remove the taboo from the very topic of domestic violence, to explain to victims that they are not to blame and should not be ashamed of being bullied. Publicity will help gradually change public opinion, which is especially important in a situation where the legal system is unable to adequately respond to cases of domestic violence.

At the moment, a bill on the prevention of domestic violence has been developed, which is being considered by the Russian government. It involves the transfer of all private prosecution cases to private-public prosecution, the introduction of preventive registration, preventive conversations, protective orders and judicial protective orders, as well as specialized programs for both survivors of violence and rapists. The offender, in particular, will be asked to leave the place of joint residence, regardless of who owns it, to transfer personal belongings and property to the injured partner if they were withheld, and to pay the costs of treatment, counseling and housing if the victim moves out.

The bill does not propose any separate special punishment for domestic abusers - all liability is provided in accordance with the articles, for example, on causing bodily harm. It is fundamentally important that this bill empowers local police officers to respond to and record all cases of domestic violence in their area, as well as conduct preventive conversations with the abuser after the first signal of violence. It must be brought to the attention of the rapist that after the second signal administrative liability will begin, and after the third he will be considered a repeat offender. As Maria Mokhova emphasizes, the state is obliged to bring to the attention of its citizens that this is not “my wife: I want to love, I want to kill,” but this is a person and a member of society and using violence against him is prohibited and punishable.

What is the situation
in other countries?

Currently, 89 states have some kind of legislative provisions directly aimed at combating domestic violence, and a number of countries (USA, Australia) also have special articles relating to marital rape. Some States have passed comprehensive laws on violence against women, providing a range of legal protections. Some former Soviet republics - Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Georgia - have also already adopted laws aimed at combating domestic violence.

In the United States, where the system of combating and preventing domestic violence is highly developed, approximately three thousand women die a year. In Russia, this figure is three to four times higher, despite the fact that Russia’s population is half as large. International legal practice is to be guided primarily by the nature of the acts of violence, rather than by the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim. Moreover, domestic violence from the husband poses a serious threat to the life and health of a woman, since she is often forced to live with him even after a divorce or during the investigation.

The main elements of assistance to those faced with domestic violence, which are absent or poorly developed in Russia, but are actively used and developed in the world: protective orders, crisis and rehabilitation centers and social shelters in which survivors of violence can spend the night and get food. In a number of countries, unlike Russia, there is also a mechanism of a protective order, when the warring parties first of all separate from each other in order to save people’s lives. In our country, on the contrary, there is a practice of reconciling the parties in court. As Maria Mokhova notes, “in Russia, on average, they break away from the rapist seven times - they leave and return. It can take longer."

At the beginning of July, Ukrainian journalist Anastasia Melnichenko launched a campaign on Facebook #I'm Not Afraid to Say(or), in which she called on women not to be afraid to talk about the violence they have faced throughout their lives. Hundreds of stories of completely different people - both women and men - who, to one degree or another, faced situations that are usually kept silent in our society, caused completely different reactions: from support to misunderstanding, and sometimes even condemnation. With the help of sociologists and experts, The Village figured out how often people in our country experience sexual violence, how it is legally regulated, and why there is such a difference between official and unofficial statistics.

How often do people become victims of sexual violence?

According to the Federal State Statistics Service, in 2015, 3,900 crimes of the category “rape and attempted rape” were registered in Russia. At the same time, 2,700 convictions were handed down during the same period. And according to unofficial data, about 10 thousand people were raped last year. According to sociologists, most often victims are people aged 15 to 27 years, but it is quite difficult to officially confirm this data.

Total registered cases of rape
and attempts on his life

in 2015 - 3 900 , in 2014 - 4 200, in 2013 - 4 200

Number of convicts

in 2015 - 2 700 , in 2014 - 2 900 , in 2013 - 2 900

Why is there such a difference between official and unofficial statistics?

Firstly, not all victims turn to the police: according to statistics collected by employees of the “Sisters” center for helping survivors of sexual violence, only 10–12% of victims do this. This happens for various reasons: someone is ashamed and blames themselves for what happened, while others are afraid of condemnation from society. Secondly, according to the center, law enforcement agencies only accept applications from every fifth applicant. And finally, thirdly, only in one case out of three is it possible to initiate a criminal case.

How is sexual violence legally regulated?

In the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, sexual violence is covered by four articles: 131 “Rape”, 132 “Violent acts of a sexual nature”, 133 “Forcing to perform actions of a sexual nature” and 134 “Sexual intercourse and other actions of a sexual nature with a person under sixteen years of age”. However, liability for exhibitionism, harassment and other types of sexual violence is not regulated in any way.

Why might law enforcement not accept a rape report?

The Investigative Committee deals with cases of rape, but you can also contact the nearest police station, where they will have to call investigators from the Investigative Committee. The victim or victim must give evidence, write a statement and receive notification of its receipt, and also undergo a medical examination.

Rape belongs to the category of crimes that, as a rule, are carried out without witnesses. Therefore, the only thing the prosecution can rely on in the future is a medical examination. Most victims are in a state of shock after the incident and first of all go to the shower, which makes a medical examination difficult.

The speed of contacting law enforcement agencies also affects - ideally this should be done immediately. In practice, everything is more complicated. After all, rape is often committed by close or acquaintances, so it takes time for the victim of sexual violence to realize what happened.

An important factor is the behavior of police officers and the Investigative Committee, who often do not believe the victim or victim, and if they do not blame the person for the incident, they dissuade him from writing a statement. That is why it is important to get professional psychological help as early as possible.

How often are convictions obtained in rape cases?

The most difficult thing is to get a criminal case initiated. If this is possible, then in the vast majority of cases a guilty verdict will be issued. As for the article on rape itself, some lawyers note that it actually forces the victim or victim to prove the fact of physical resistance, while rape is not about resistance, but about the lack of consent to sex. Others talk about problems in law enforcement and the need to train law enforcement officers to deal more humanely with victims.

We would like to thank lawyers Mari Davtyan and Gleb Glinka for their assistance in preparing the material.