Law: Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence

Brief Description

The key event in combating gender-based violence in Ukraine over the past 5 years was the adoption in January 2018 of the Law of Ukraine "On Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence" (No. 2229, 2017), which introduces an effective mechanism for combating domestic violence and strengthening protection of victims. 

The law broadens the range of people covered by the scope of legislation on preventing and combating domestic violence, as well as defines:
1) main areas for implementing the state policy in the field of preventing and combating domestic violence (preventing domestic violence; effective response to the facts of domestic violence by introducing a mechanism of interaction between the entities engaged in preventing and combating domestic violence; providing assistance and protection to victims, as well as providing compensation for damage caused by domestic violence, due investigation of domestic violence cases, the prosecution of direct perpetrators to the hold responsibilities and change their behavior);
2) a range of subjects engaged in activities in the field of preventing and combating domestic violence and their powers in this area, including providing the operation of general and specialized support services for the victims; 
3) directions of assistance and protection of victims (providing information to victims about their rights and the possibilities for their implementation, providing access to general and specialized support services for injured persons for receiving social services, medical, social, psychological assistance; providing temporary asylum if necessary; providing victims access to justice and other mechanisms of legal protection); the Unified State Register of Domestic Violence cases is introduced in order to provide comprehensive and timely assistance to victims, coordinating activities of the entities engaged in preventing and responding to domestic violence; special measures are taken to combat domestic violence (emergency prohibition, restrictive prescription for the direct perpetrator, taking the direct perpetrator for preventive registration and carrying out preventive work, passing the corrective programs to the direct perpetrator).