Law enforcement officers and human rights activists summed up the results of cooperation in 2021

On December 23, representatives of the Main Police Department in Chernihiv Oblast, the Patrol Police Department, the Human Rights Department, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office, regional coordinators of the VRU Commissioner for Human Rights, and representatives of the public discussed problems with identifying and responding to cases of domestic violence and other challenges in the area of ​​human rights in the region.

The event was held at the initiative of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights and with the assistance of the Main Police Department in Chernihiv Oblast.

At the beginning of the meeting, they discussed the situation in the region and the problems that arise in the field of combating domestic violence and providing assistance to victims in current conditions. Separately, they focused on the problems of cooperation (sometimes the lack of communication) in territorial communities between police officers and community representatives, including when informing about detected cases in accordance with the requirements of the law.

Police representatives noted the need to open centers for victims and establish effective algorithms for responding to cases of domestic violence in communities.

During the discussion, the participants also raised the issue of using effective means of bringing perpetrators to justice, including for failure to comply with restrictive measures, restrictive orders, or failure to complete programs for perpetrators. Although it is precisely such measures that should help reduce the recurrence of domestic violence by perpetrators.

Separately, they also discussed problematic issues of considering administrative cases in courts. There are cases of failure by courts to comply with the requirements of the law regarding the possibility of considering such cases without the participation of the perpetrator. There is also a need to cooperate with the regional courts to refer perpetrators to programs for perpetrators in communities, impose penalties in the form of community service, etc.

Also during the round table, they mentioned personnel problems in communities, but emphasized the need to establish interaction between law enforcement agencies, local governments, executive authorities and the public on the ground to ensure respect for human rights.

Summing up the event, the participants noted that many problematic issues arise during the exercise of their powers. Therefore, meetings of this format contribute to the mechanism of interaction between entities implementing measures in the field of combating domestic violence, and to addressing the urgent legal and security needs of communities related to assisting vulnerable groups of the population.

The event was organized by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights as part of the project “Public Control over Law Enforcement Agencies in Chernihiv Oblast” with the support of Freedom House Ukraine.