The UNECE estimates that nearly two-thirds of Lithuanian women have been victims of male physical or sexual violence or threats after their 16th birthday.
VILNIUS — The Lithuanian government is set to implement a new law that will see domestic violence offenders banned from seeing their victims or living in the same residence.
Domestic violence is a major problem in the largest Baltic state. Although internal statistics are relatively scant, according to the latest numbers from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) with just under half of women experiencing domestic violence from men in their [private_supervisor]adult lives and many of them never reporting the crime to police.
The law takes into account that the perpetrator of domestic violence and violence against women is often someone close to the victim.
President Dalia Grybauskaitė made statements on Friday about the problem plaguing the country.
“Violence in the family is not only a breach of human rights, but it destroys their dignity and self-esteem and harms health. We have publicly acknowledged that it is not private and society as a whole has a problem,” Grybauskaitė said via her press service.
UNECE’s latest statistics:
- 63.3 percent of Lithuanian women have been victims of male physical or sexual violence or threats after their 16th birthday
- 42.4 percent of all married and cohabiting women have been victims of physical or sexual violence or threats of violence by their present partner
- Only 10.6 percent of the victims of sexual violence at home reported the most serious incident to the police.
The law would allow the imposition of movement and contact bans, similar to those of restraining orders in the U.S. legal system, where offenders would be banned from returning to areas where the victim lives or works. The Ministry of Social Security and Labor, which drafted the bill, cites the psychological and emotional damage done to victims when they meet their tormentors after incidences of violence or sexual assault as an impetus for imposing the bans on convicted offenders.
Grybauskaitė said the state must have a legal basis for preventing all forms of domestic violence and better investigate cases of violence and punish perpetrators.
It passed, the law would allow a judge will consider the severity of the case before sentencing a restraining order. However, if the violence involves a pregnant woman, the elderly, disabled people or children, the law will be enacted compulsorily.
Lietuvos Rytas reported that law enforcement agencies say their hands are tied on the issue of domestic violence because women were reluctant to report incidences.
Earlier in April, the Swedish ambassador to Lithuania told Lithuanian parliament in a speech what she saw as the problem, citing the same challenges in her own country.
Ambassador Ulrika Cronenberg-Mossberg made a speech at the conference “Protection of Women’s Rights — Good Practices in Lithuania” held April 21 in the Seimas.
She urged lawmakers to move ahead with the proposed bill, saying that a 1998 crackdown on domestic abuse in her country helped prevent violence against women.
“How many women [in Sweden] who were assaulted but did not dare to report it — we do not know. The police estimate that the number of women assaulted are about four times as large,” Cronenberg-Mossberg said.
The bill must be passed by the Lithuanian parliament and signed by the president before becoming law. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]adult lives and many of them never reporting the crime to police.
The law takes into account that the perpetrator of domestic violence and violence against women is often someone close to the victim.
President Dalia Grybauskaitė made statements on Friday about the problem plaguing the country.
“Violence in the family is not only a breach of human rights, but it destroys their dignity and self-esteem and harms health. We have publicly acknowledged that it is not private and society as a whole has a problem,” Grybauskaitė said via her press service.
UNECE’s latest statistics:
- 63.3 percent of Lithuanian women have been victims of male physical or sexual violence or threats after their 16th birthday
- 42.4 percent of all married and cohabiting women have been victims of physical or sexual violence or threats of violence by their present partner
- Only 10.6 percent of the victims of sexual violence at home reported the most serious incident to the police.
The law would allow the imposition of movement and contact bans, similar to those of restraining orders in the U.S. legal system, where offenders would be banned from returning to areas where the victim lives or works. The Ministry of Social Security and Labor, which drafted the bill, cites the psychological and emotional damage done to victims when they meet their tormentors after incidences of violence or sexual assault as an impetus for imposing the bans on convicted offenders.
Grybauskaitė said the state must have a legal basis for preventing all forms of domestic violence and better investigate cases of violence and punish perpetrators.
It passed, the law would allow a judge will consider the severity of the case before sentencing a restraining order. However, if the violence involves a pregnant woman, the elderly, disabled people or children, the law will be enacted compulsorily.
Lietuvos Rytas reported that law enforcement agencies say their hands are tied on the issue of domestic violence because women were reluctant to report incidences.
Earlier in April, the Swedish ambassador to Lithuania told Lithuanian parliament in a speech what she saw as the problem, citing the same challenges in her own country.
Ambassador Ulrika Cronenberg-Mossberg made a speech at the conference “Protection of Women’s Rights — Good Practices in Lithuania” held April 21 in the Seimas.
She urged lawmakers to move ahead with the proposed bill, saying that a 1998 crackdown on domestic abuse in her country helped prevent violence against women.
“How many women [in Sweden] who were assaulted but did not dare to report it — we do not know. The police estimate that the number of women assaulted are about four times as large,” Cronenberg-Mossberg said.
The bill must be passed by the Lithuanian parliament and signed by the president before becoming law. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]adult lives and many of them never reporting the crime to police.
The law takes into account that the perpetrator of domestic violence and violence against women is often someone close to the victim.
President Dalia Grybauskaitė made statements on Friday about the problem plaguing the country.
“Violence in the family is not only a breach of human rights, but it destroys their dignity and self-esteem and harms health. We have publicly acknowledged that it is not private and society as a whole has a problem,” Grybauskaitė said via her press service.
UNECE’s latest statistics:
- 63.3 percent of Lithuanian women have been victims of male physical or sexual violence or threats after their 16th birthday
- 42.4 percent of all married and cohabiting women have been victims of physical or sexual violence or threats of violence by their present partner
- Only 10.6 percent of the victims of sexual violence at home reported the most serious incident to the police.
The law would allow the imposition of movement and contact bans, similar to those of restraining orders in the U.S. legal system, where offenders would be banned from returning to areas where the victim lives or works. The Ministry of Social Security and Labor, which drafted the bill, cites the psychological and emotional damage done to victims when they meet their tormentors after incidences of violence or sexual assault as an impetus for imposing the bans on convicted offenders.
Grybauskaitė said the state must have a legal basis for preventing all forms of domestic violence and better investigate cases of violence and punish perpetrators.
It passed, the law would allow a judge will consider the severity of the case before sentencing a restraining order. However, if the violence involves a pregnant woman, the elderly, disabled people or children, the law will be enacted compulsorily.
Lietuvos Rytas reported that law enforcement agencies say their hands are tied on the issue of domestic violence because women were reluctant to report incidences.
Earlier in April, the Swedish ambassador to Lithuania told Lithuanian parliament in a speech what she saw as the problem, citing the same challenges in her own country.
Ambassador Ulrika Cronenberg-Mossberg made a speech at the conference “Protection of Women’s Rights — Good Practices in Lithuania” held April 21 in the Seimas.
She urged lawmakers to move ahead with the proposed bill, saying that a 1998 crackdown on domestic abuse in her country helped prevent violence against women.
“How many women [in Sweden] who were assaulted but did not dare to report it — we do not know. The police estimate that the number of women assaulted are about four times as large,” Cronenberg-Mossberg said.
The bill must be passed by the Lithuanian parliament and signed by the president before becoming law. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]adult lives and many of them never reporting the crime to police.
The law takes into account that the perpetrator of domestic violence and violence against women is often someone close to the victim.
President Dalia Grybauskaitė made statements on Friday about the problem plaguing the country.
“Violence in the family is not only a breach of human rights, but it destroys their dignity and self-esteem and harms health. We have publicly acknowledged that it is not private and society as a whole has a problem,” Grybauskaitė said via her press service.
UNECE’s latest statistics:
- 63.3 percent of Lithuanian women have been victims of male physical or sexual violence or threats after their 16th birthday
- 42.4 percent of all married and cohabiting women have been victims of physical or sexual violence or threats of violence by their present partner
- Only 10.6 percent of the victims of sexual violence at home reported the most serious incident to the police.
The law would allow the imposition of movement and contact bans, similar to those of restraining orders in the U.S. legal system, where offenders would be banned from returning to areas where the victim lives or works. The Ministry of Social Security and Labor, which drafted the bill, cites the psychological and emotional damage done to victims when they meet their tormentors after incidences of violence or sexual assault as an impetus for imposing the bans on convicted offenders.
Grybauskaitė said the state must have a legal basis for preventing all forms of domestic violence and better investigate cases of violence and punish perpetrators.
It passed, the law would allow a judge will consider the severity of the case before sentencing a restraining order. However, if the violence involves a pregnant woman, the elderly, disabled people or children, the law will be enacted compulsorily.
Lietuvos Rytas reported that law enforcement agencies say their hands are tied on the issue of domestic violence because women were reluctant to report incidences.
Earlier in April, the Swedish ambassador to Lithuania told Lithuanian parliament in a speech what she saw as the problem, citing the same challenges in her own country.
Ambassador Ulrika Cronenberg-Mossberg made a speech at the conference “Protection of Women’s Rights — Good Practices in Lithuania” held April 21 in the Seimas.
She urged lawmakers to move ahead with the proposed bill, saying that a 1998 crackdown on domestic abuse in her country helped prevent violence against women.
“How many women [in Sweden] who were assaulted but did not dare to report it — we do not know. The police estimate that the number of women assaulted are about four times as large,” Cronenberg-Mossberg said.
The bill must be passed by the Lithuanian parliament and signed by the president before becoming law. [/private_subscription 1 year]
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