Killed by gossip: “Honor killings” of women in the North Caucasus. Report on the results of a qualitative study in the republics of Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya (Russian Federation)
... Sharia law, but rather by the arbitrary and self-styled ambitions of individuals and clans. The practice is borne out of and incited by the pressure of public opinion, gossip, rumors and slander. The report Killed By Gossip: “Honor killings” of women in the North Caucasus is the first to document and analyze the phenomenon of honor-based violence in contemporary Russia based on field research conducted in the North Caucasus region. Despite the difficulties in collecting data in this area, the ...Modified: 18/12/2018
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Russian Justice Initiative providing legal aid to women victims of domestic violence
Russian Justice Initiative is continuing its project to provide comprehensive legal aid to women from various parts of the country who are victims of domestic violence. Since 2009, our lawyers have represented the interests of women from the North Caucasus republics in cases related to honour killings, bride abductions, violence in the family ...Modified: 02/05/2017
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RJI submits shadow report to UN Women’s Committee on Women’s Rights in the North Caucasus
In preparation for the 62 nd session of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women—the monitoring body of the United Nation’s “Women’s Convention” or CEDAW—Russian Justice Initiative (RJI) and the Chechnya Advocacy Network (CAN) submitted a shadow report to the Committee concerning Russia’s compliance with the CEDAW ...Modified: 13/10/2015
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On 11 August 2020 the Main Investigative Directorate for the North Caucasus Federal District sent a reply in which it reported that the materials of the investigative check into the death of Madina Umayeva had been examined
A recommendation was also made to carry out specific pre-investigatory actions. However, the letter stated that there were no grounds to believe that the personnel of the regional department of the Investigative Committee in Chechnya were “personally invested, directly or indirectly, in the results of the pre-investigative check.” Therefore, the request to transfer the investigation to the Main Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the North Caucasus federal district was rejected. ...Modified: 12/08/2020
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SJI submits report on implementation of Volodina v Russia
The Court found that the Russian authorities had failed to protect the applicant from the violent actions of her former partner, and was the first judgment finding Russia responsible for gender-based discrimination against women due to the lack of effective remedies for domestic violence. The Court also found the Russian legal framework inadequate in the task of preventing, responding to and punishing domestic violence. 8 months since the entry into force of the Court's ...Modified: 31/07/2020
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SJI makes submission to UN Special Rapporteur on domestic violence as a form of torture
SJI sent a submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment following his call for inputs on the theme of "domestic violence and the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment." SJI sent a submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment following his call for inputs on the theme of "domestic violence and the prohibition of torture...Modified: 15/05/2019
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CEDAW Committee issues first decision on domestic violence in Russia
On 12 April 2019 the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) published its Views in S.T. v Russia , its first decision on domestic violence in Russia. Shema Timagova, the author of the communication, is a victim of severe domestic violence from Chechnya. On 12 April 2019 the United Nations ...Modified: 12/04/2019
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The practice of female genital mutilation in Dagestan: strategies for its elimination
... political science, president of the Center for the Study of Modern Global Issues “Caucasus. Peace. Development”, Rostov-on-Don “State parties to the Conventions have a duty to comply with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of women and children. They also have a due-diligence obligation to prevent acts that impair the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of rights by women and children and ensure that private actors do not engage in discrimination against women and girls,...Modified: 05/06/2018
Path: About us / Reports / The practice of female genital mutilation in Dagestan: strategies for its elimination
SJI released its second report on the practice of female genital mutilation in Dagestan on 1 June 2018
... field research about the attitude of men to the practice, in general as well as in regard to their own wives, daughters or other female relatives. The research showed that while men will undoubtedly play a role in any effort to oppose the practice, women are the driving force behind its preservation in the areas where it is still performed. SJI's researcher also interviewed 50 religious leaders in Dagestan in practicing and non-practicing areas. Interestingly, while young male respondents refer ...Modified: 01/06/2018
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RJI releases English translation of study on female genital mutilation in Dagestan
The report is the first to examine the practice of FGM in contemporary Russia, and is based on field interviews with 25 women and 17 experts. The study found that FGM is performed on girls in certain mountainous districts of Dagestan, usually before the age of 3. However, the practice has largely remained hidden and public opinion on the local level, including that of ...Modified: 22/09/2016
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Russian Justice Initiative in the Press
On 19 November 2015 The Georgian TV channel “Maestro” reported on the ICC’s investigation into the 2008 Georgia-South Ossetia armed conflict, highlighting RJI’s work on gathering testimony from victims in South Ossetia. There is an interview with RJI’s staff lawyer Diana Kostina, as well as with RJI’s Georgian partners, who sent in testimonies from victims in Georgia to the ICC. Caucasian Knot. 19 July 2015 . CC's resolution on priority of Russia's Constitution over ECtHR's decisions...Modified: 12/08/2016
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ECHR Communicates Case of Kidnapped Bride in Ingushetia
... overturned decisions by investigators not to open a criminal case, but the investigation made no progress. An application to the ECtHR was submitted on the applicant’s behalf in March 2014. “This case is illustrative of the extreme vulnerability of young women in Ingushetia and the difficulty of obtaining an investigation into threats against their lives and well-being,” said Grigor Avetisyan, SRJI Legal Director. “We hope the proceedings at the Court will help the applicant to gain at least a basic ...Modified: 13/02/2015
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European Court of Human Rights finds Russia responsible for failing to conduct an investigation into death of two teenage boys and for enforced disappearance of a Chechen man
The European Court of Human Rights has found Russia responsible for failing to conduct an effective investigation into the deaths of two teenage boys, who were killed by a stray missile in 2000, and for the disappearance of a Chechen man in 2004, Russian Justice Initiative reported today. The European Court of Human Rights has found Russia responsible for failing to conduct an effective investigation into the deaths of two teenage boys, who were killed by a stray missile in 2000, and for the disappearance...Modified: 21/12/2010
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Russia Responsible for the Disappearance of Young Woman and Two Chechen Men
... “Chechnya 2004: New Methods of Counter-Terror. Hostage-taking and Repressive Actions Against Relatives of Supposed Combatants,” March 2005 Memorial Human Rights Centre and The Network for Migration and Law: “On the Situation of Women in Chechnya, Russian Federation, June 2003-May 2004,” June 2004Modified: 22/04/2010
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