No to domestic violence. The "Byt" special complex event is being held in the Vitebsk region from October 19 to 24.

Violence is psychological and physical pressure on a person to force them to certain actions. Violence can be physical, psychological, and sexual. In modern society, we constantly encounter one form of violence or another. Who usually acts from a position of power to achieve their goals?

A family is a group of relatives living together (husband, wife, children) where love and mutual understanding should prevail. However, in reality, things are often quite different. Domestic violence is one of the most common problems in modern society. Most often, violence is directed against a wife or partner. Women need protection, which is why the number of shelters providing them with refuge and protection from abusive spouses is growing. Children in the family are also quite often subjected to violence: they are beaten, raped, starved, etc. Such crimes are very often hidden, and those around them often do not even suspect what is happening behind the doors of a seemingly decent and prosperous family.

Until almost the mid-19th century, in some countries, men had the legal right to physically punish their wives. Domestic violence is still quite widespread today, as evidenced by many facts. Criminal liability is provided for child abuse, but most often no one knows (or wants to know) what is happening in families. A vicious circle is formed: people who were beaten in childhood then raise their own children in fear.

A family is the basic unit of society. Everyone strives to find a family to avoid loneliness, raise children, and live with a loved one. It is in the family that a person finds happiness, peace, comfort, support, and sometimes even the meaning of life. However, often what people created, guided by the most beautiful desires, love, and dreams of a happy future, ends in a real nightmare – the family becomes not a support, but a source of constant suffering. Most often, this happens under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The problem of domestic violence is characteristic of all strata of society and all countries. However, usually, cases of violence in dysfunctional families become public. Although quite often violence also occurs in outwardly prosperous families.

About 60% of women who died violently were killed by their partners. When talking about cases where one of the partners becomes a victim of violence, it is necessary to consider the cause of this situation. Partners in a critical situation often resort to violence, which significantly worsens their life together. Moral and physical pain, and threats of murder usually occur when the following problems arise: lack of housing, unemployment, unplanned pregnancy, illness, or financial difficulties. This is usually exacerbated by alcohol abuse. Such aggressive behavior is also possible if one of the partners has serious mental disorders. If a child did not receive enough attention in childhood and was often subjected to violence, this leads to a disruption in the formation of their personality and normal mental development. Such a child can grow up embittered and aggressive.

Women experiencing domestic violence find it difficult to accept help from strangers. They are often afraid to seek help. Such women are embarrassed and unwilling to contact law enforcement agencies regarding beatings and violence.

Couples whose lives have become accustomed to violence often distance themselves from their friends and withdraw into themselves. However, many continue to communicate with friends, and perhaps they could turn to them for help. Even if friends cannot directly help them, a frank conversation and psychological support are very important and often help them find strength and resist violence. If a partner starts a fight, calling the police is the quickest way to get help. If you are not subjected to domestic violence yourself, but have witnessed, or constantly witness, domestic violence among your friends, acquaintances, or neighbors – do not be a bystander, report it to the Postavy District Department of Internal Affairs by phone 102 or 4-10-02, mobile phone 510-29-45 MTS – your call may save someone's life.

As a rule, if no preventive measures are taken in a timely manner, and the aggressor is not stopped in time, their behavior becomes increasingly aggressive each time and leads to serious consequences, the most tragic of which are murders and grievous bodily harm.

If we look at the statistics for our district, we see that this year, despite no murders being registered, there has been an increase in the number of grievous bodily harm cases from 2 in 2017 to 4 in the elapsed period of this year. That is, the number of crimes of this type has doubled, and such a trend cannot but be alarming. At the same time, the main causes of these crimes were conflict situations in families. All persons who committed these crimes were in a state of alcoholic intoxication; in 3 out of 4 cases, the victims of the crimes also consumed alcohol.

It is also characteristic that previously only one of the criminals came to the attention of law enforcement agencies for committing an administrative offense – a scandal with his mother. All other criminals and their victims did not commit offenses in the "domestic" sphere. Subsequently, during inspections, neighbors and relatives explained that conflicts in these families had occurred before, but no one could have imagined that everything could end so tragically.

Currently, the legislation of the Republic of Belarus provides for many preventive measures that can prevent conflicts and the onset of serious consequences. In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On the Fundamentals of Crime Prevention Activities," preventive conversations can be held with the aggressor. After being brought to administrative responsibility, an official warning may be issued against them about the possibility of being placed on preventive registration, and in case of repeated commission of a similar offense, the aggressor may be placed on this type of registration (within which various measures of general and individual crime prevention are also applied). The law also enshrines such a norm as a protective order, under which the aggressor may be prohibited from any communication with the victim (including via mobile communication and the Internet), and may also be obliged to leave the joint place of residence for up to 30 days and may be prohibited from using joint property. For violating a protective order, the aggressor may be brought to administrative responsibility under Part 2 of Article 9.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter – CAO), the sanction of which provides for administrative arrest for up to 15 days.

Victims of violence can receive psychological, legal, and other assistance, both at the republican and local levels. In cases of domestic violence, you can contact the psycho-narcological department of the Postavy Central District Hospital for psychological help and support (tel. 8-02155-41149 (from 8:00 to 16:00)), the "helpline" of the psychological service of the Postavy District Executive Committee (tel. 8-02155-51313 and 8-02155-51399 from 7:45 to 17:10), the Postavy Territorial Center for Social Services 2-40-70, helpline 2-40-67 (from 8:00 to 17:00), as well as the republican free hotline for victims of domestic violence (tel. 8-801-100-8-801).

In case of family conflicts, the offender may be brought to administrative responsibility under Part 1 of Article 9.1 of the CAO for causing bodily harm (sanction – a fine of 10 to 30 basic units or administrative arrest). Part 2 of Article 9.1 of the CAO provides for responsibility for causing physical or mental suffering (sanction – a fine of up to 10 basic units or administrative arrest). For insults, responsibility is provided under Article 9.3 of the CAO (sanction – up to 20 basic units).

If the offender systematically commits administrative offenses while intoxicated, they may be sent for compulsory treatment for alcoholism in a medical and labor dispensary for up to 12 months.

If a family member puts their loved ones in a difficult financial situation by abusing alcohol and spending a significant part of the budget on it, a measure such as partial restriction of legal capacity may be applied to them, which means that one of the family members will receive all their earnings instead of them, controlling all their expenses and not allowing them to spend money on alcohol. This measure will also help prevent them from making any transactions with property and will prevent them from drinking away everything they have acquired together. You will also be able to protect yourself from ill-