Activists launch website for combatting domestic violence

July 7, BPN. A team of Belarusian activists announced the launch of prohelp.info created for healthcare professionals, lawyers and social workers involved in efforts to combat domestic violence.

The website will provide them with specialized materials how to help domestic violence victims.

The website will be “a valuable tool for all those who combat domestic violence and seek to improve the lives of women who suffered from it,” the project team said.

In March 2022, a court in Minsk ruled to shut down Radzisłava, an association established in 2002 by domestic violence victims. Radzisłava was forced to close down its shelter and suspend the operation of a 24-hour hotline for domestic violence victims.

Belarus does not have a law against domestic violence. In October 2018, Alaksandr Łukašenka sharply criticized a bill against domestic abuse as stupidity imported from the West.

Belarusian authorities keep denying the issue. In early March, Valeryj Kavalkoŭ, a deputy minister of labor and social security, told reporters that domestic violence was not a big issue, so a separate law was not necessary.

More than 10,000 domestic aggressors were prosecuted in the first quarter of 2023, according to the interior ministry.