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Description
The level of gender-based and intimate partner violence is very high in Estonia and actions to prevent and eliminate violence have not been sufficient. An important reason for poor results is strongly rooted gender stereotypes that suggest that the victim is also guilty of the violence that took place. Such stereotypes make victims distrustful of law enforcement officers and prevent them from reporting violence. The aim of the project is to contribute to the development of more efficient law enforcement system to prevent gender-based and interpersonal violence. The basis of the efficient law enforcement system is the cooperation and trust between the victims and law enforcement specialists that is free of gender stereotypes. Direct objective of the project is to increase the know-how and expertise of law enforcement specialists in solving the cases of gender-based and intimate partner violence; to increase the capacity of law enforcement specialists to intervene as early as possible in serious cases of gender-based and intimate partner violence to prevent serious and fatal cases and decrease repeated acts of violence; to work out legislative proposals for improving and making the legal regulation of gender-based and intimate partner violence more effective. The existing curricula of law enforcement specialists will be analysed and recommendations made on how to improve them.
The project partner University of Tartu Faculty of Law will analyse the practice of courts in solving cases of gender-based and intimate partner violence and develop a set of recommendations for legislative changes, Tallinn Crisis Shelter for Women will interview victims of gender-based and intimate partner violence, the Icelandic Women''s Rights Association will participate in training the trainers of law enforcement specialists.
Summary of project results
The level of gender-based and intimate partner violence is very high in Estonia and actions to prevent and eliminate violence have not been sufficient. An important reason for poor results is strongly rooted gender stereotypes that suggest that the victim is also guilty of the violence that took place. Such stereotypes make victims distrustful of law enforcement officers and prevent them from reporting violence.
The central aim of the project was to contribute to a development of a gender-neutral law enforcement culture and standards of communication that will help increase victims'' trust in law enforcement and encourage cooperation between victims and law enforcement officials. According to specialists, the prevailing mindset is so-called "norm-centeredness." Legal norms, regulations, and similar frameworks are considered important, rather than focusing on the victim and their issues and needs. In legal proceedings, the needs of the legal system itself often take precedence, and sometimes convenience as well, which for victims can mean a lack of empathy or even a dismissive attitude. Gender stereotypes strongly influence the conduct of legal proceedings and attitudes toward victims.
First, a baseline mapping was carried out and a nationwide population survey was conducted. It revealed that more than half of respondents (58%) consider intimate partner violence to be a serious violation of human rights, and that there is also a high level of dissatisfaction with the current law enforcement system. An expert survey was also carried out among lawyers (184 respondents). 72% of the respondents consider that there are major problems in ensuring the human rights of victims of domestic violence in Estonia. The survey also suggested that the readiness of Estonian practitioners to adopt a victim-centered approach is clearly emerging, represented by 39% of the practitioners surveyed.
A training on intimate partner violence for law enforcement professionals was carried out, in line with the level of Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, etc.) and curricula for basic and continuing training programs for the Faculty of Law were developed. In cooperation with the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association, a 2-day training course for law enforcement professionals was conducted, explaining the real causes and nature of intimate partner violence, teaching how to deal with cases of intimate partner violence without gender stereotypes and blaming the victims.
To increase the effectiveness of the justice system an analysis of the current legal framework was carried out. The results demonstrate that legal provisions the practice are not adequate and effective in dealing with the different types and forms of intimate partner violence.
Based on different analyses and feedback from trainings and consultations a package of proposals was developed on how to improve the legislative framework and practice in addressing domestic violence. A roundtable of civil society organizations advocating for these changes was established.
The results of the project will help to overcome Estonia''s lag in the legal regulation of intimate partner violence. The project has developed a package of proposals on how to improve cooperation with victims and reduce the number of withdrawals of complaints against the perpetrator. Proposals were made to improve/amend existing legislation and to adopt a Gender and Intimate Violence Act. Estonia is one of the few countries that does not yet have a law on gender and intimate partner violence.
Summary of bilateral results
The contribution of the Iceland Women''s Rights Association was important in the implementation of the project because of their expertise in both gender equality and gender-based violence. IWRA also has valuable experience and achievements in the field of gender-based violence training. IWRA''s role in the project was to share their experience at a two-day training course for law enforcement professionals on gender-based violence, gender stereotypes and gender equality.Because of the challenges posed by the coronavirus, a physical training was replaced by video presentations. In particular IWRA contribution allowed Estonian specialists to learn what has been done in Iceland to develop a gender-neutral approach to violence prevention and prevention in the context of gender stereotyping, and how is Iceland working to develop a gender-neutral law enforcement culture and communication standards to help build victims'' confidence.