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Description
Domestic violence remains a serious problem in Lithuania. Police reported 47,9 thousand cases of domestic violence in 2017. There was a decrease of reports (41,5 thousand) in 2018, but in 2019 the number of reports increased up to 53 thousand.
The need of the project is determined by the lack of skills and competences of law enforcement chain in organizing prevention of domestic violence, responding to incidents of domestic violence and conducting pre-trial investigation of domestic violence.
The project aims to improve policies to prevent domestic violence, to strengthen the capacities of justice chain professionals, to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation in order to effective allocate functions within the justice chain.
The project includes:
- Study on the implementation of legal regulations in the area of gender-based violence and domestic violence.
- Manual for justice chain professionals on evidence collection and evaluation.
- Training for justice chain professionals and representatives of NGOs, also specialized training for police officers, community police officers and prosecutors.
- Workshops in Lithuania and Norway.
- Awareness raising for the public to promote a zero-tolerance approach to domestic violence.
- Joint meetings among justice chain authorities, social partners and local municipalities.
- Creation of risk management information system, which will help the police officers to identify risky persons (potential perpetrators) and start preventive pro-active actions.
- Equipping the police officers with body-worn cameras.
Target groups of the project are representatives of the justice chain, NGOs, society and victims of domestic violence.
Donor project partner Oslo Police District will share its knowledge and the best practice in the area of domestic violence and gender-based violence during the workshops organized within the project. The involvement of the Lithuanian project partners will ensure synergies between justice chain authorities.
Summary of project results
Domestic violence was (and still is) a serious problem in Lithuania. Police reported 47,9 thousand cases of domestic violence in 2017. In 2019, the number of reports increased up to 53 thousand.
The project was needed because the actors of law enforcement chain lacked skills and competences in organizing prevention of domestic violence, responding to incidents of domestic violence and conducting pre-trial investigation of domestic violence.
The project improved capacities of justice chain representatives in the field of domestic violence and strengthened inter-institutional cooperation among justice chain and NGOs. In addition, the project contributed to the prevention of domestic violence and more efficient collection of evidence in domestic violence cases.
The project included these results:
- Study on the implementation of legal regulations in the area of gender-based violence and domestic violence was prepared.
- Practical guide to proceedings in the courts of domestic violence cases was developed.
- More than 4400 justice chain professionals (police officers, prosecutors, representatives of judicial system) as well as representatives of NGOs were trained.
- Six workshops in Norway and Lithuania on the topic of domestic violence took place.
- Awareness raising activities for the public to promote a zero-tolerance approach to domestic violence were carried out (more than 80000 people reached).
- Joint meetings among justice chain authorities, social partners and local municipalities were arranged.
- Risk management information system was created, which is used to identify individuals related to domestic violence and start preventive measures with them (preventive interviews and preventive visits, including visits after a restraining order has been issued).
- Police officers were equipped with body-worn cameras (1800).
Summary of bilateral results
During the six workshops organized in the course of the project, the donor project partner Oslo Police District shared its knowledge, insights and experience in the work with cases concerning domestic violence (investigative interviews; working with cases with limited access to evidence; working with children in domestic violence cases, victim protection, etc). All workshops contributed to sharing of the Norwegian knowledge, experience and best practices to Lithuanian participants from the justice chain.Representatives of Oslo Police District also participated in project’s conferences and other meetings, hosted a study visit where representatives from Lithuanian Police had an opportunity to get acquainted with the activities of the Center for the Analysis of Risks of domestic violence incidents.