The countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia must amend Soviet laws on sexual violence, which allow rapists to avoid responsibility, including through arranged marriages with their victims. The Gangonization of Equality Now called on countries to change laws that describe rape as sex with violence or with a threat of violence.
According to a report prepared by Equality Now nine countries – Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia – have legislation that reconciles victims of sexual violence. In some cases, the perpetrator can convince the victim to reconcile, pay her or marry her to avoid social stigma," said Decanosze, a human rights lawyer in Georgia, co-author of the report.
The report came a week after Ukraine, following the footsteps of countries such as Sweden and Iceland, became first a country in a region that has changed its law. New qualifications are considered rape every time sexual contact occurs without consent one of the sides.
In 10 to 15 countries of the former Soviet Union have no automatic requirement for authorities to investigate and prosecute sexual violence, according to a study on Equality Now . This means that the burden of pursuing justice rests with the victim or her family.
The tragic situation of the victims
In 10 to 15 countries of the former Soviet Union have no automatic requirement for authorities to investigate and prosecute sexual violence, according to a study on Equality Now . This means that the burden of pursuing justice lies with the victim or her family.
Mistaken legislation combined with sexist attitudes in the region means that girls and women are often accused of provoking sexual violence and can be forced to reconcile with attackers and even marry them. Moreover, police often discourage victims from initiating cases.
Victims face pressure from the perpetrator, his family or even his own family to endure claims.
The report also states that sexual violence usually remains impunityless in the case of kidnappings of brides and marriages of children, which still occur in some Eurasian countries. Child marriage is illegal in all 15 countries, but they can be arranged if a girl is raped to prevent public shame.
Rape is not investigated in such situations, which means that forced marriage effectively justifies rape as reported by research. Decanosze cited the case 15-year a girl in Georgia who was raped by two men. When a teenager reported attacks, her family forced her to marry one with her rapists.
Also during kidnappings, rape is often used as a tool to force a girl to marry.
The law can change public attitudes
Many of these rules refuse to bring justice to those who have survived sexual violence instead of bringing attackers to account," says Tamara Decanosze. "It is important that countries fix these rights and put an end to universal impunity.
Decanosze said that legal changes are an important part of the wider measures needed to combat sexual violence.
- The law can change public attitude, says the lawyer. "Improving these rules would be a strong signal that sexual violence will not be tolerated.
Author:
Katarzyna Kołbuś - Editor leading RB Magazine. From Over 10 years related to industry press, including the Financial Gazette and portal ipip.com.pl, which is devoted to finance, taxation, law, politics and the economy. She graduated from Polish philology at the UMCS and the language editing of the text at the University of Warsaw.