Analysts comment on the death of a girl in Abkhazia.

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The death of a three-year-old girl as a result of domestic violence is a unique case for Abkhazia, but human rights activists have documented similar cases. A law is needed to protect victims of domestic violence, not just document its consequences.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," a three-year-old girl from the Gulripsh district of Abkhazia died as a result of abuse and violence at the hands of her own family members. On April 11, the girl's aunt, Kristina Lakhina, was arrested for two months. Deputies declared the need to draft a law on domestic violence. A bill on protection from domestic violence was introduced to parliament six years ago, but has not yet been included in the session agenda, countered the former Abkhazia ombudsman.

On April 12, Said Gezerdava, an employee of the NGO "Center for Humanitarian Programs," and Lana Chkadua, chair of the Women's Development Fund, commented on the situation with domestic violence in Abkhazia in the wake of the high-profile murder case of a three-year-old girl.

Said Gezerdava noted that the girl's murder, without exaggeration, shocked all of Abkhazia. "Unfortunately, a photograph of the now deceased victim with marks of torture was circulated..." "The primary suspect is the victim's aunt, Kristina Lakhina," he recalled.

"Her mother lives in Russia. Her aunt took the girl from her because she was unable to raise her. But, unfortunately, her aunt, who had four children of her own, was also unable to care for her—and it all ended in murder," said Lana Chkadua.

Both Chkadua and Gezerdava noted that this case is unique in the last 10-15 years, and possibly longer. "However, cases of physical, psychological, and sexualized violence do occur and are documented by human rights organizations," Gezerdava emphasized.

The expert noted the parliament's reluctance to pass a law on domestic violence until recently. "Former ombudsman Asida Shakryl recently commented on the parliament's de facto refusal to consider the law 'On Protection from Domestic Violence.'" She explicitly stated that the lack of progress on this issue was due to parliamentary inaction. Civil activists, in turn, published a petition calling for the law to be passed. "On April 10, the parliament heard this appeal; at a parliamentary session, it seemed like they gave the green light to this initiative," Gezerdava said.

He also spoke about a package of amendments to administrative, criminal, and criminal procedure legislation submitted to parliament by the current Human Rights Commissioner, Anas Kishmaria, which provide for penalties and restrictions against aggressors. "This is a very important component of addressing the consequences of violence. But it will not replace the law, as the latter is focused on the prevention of domestic violence, psychological, social, and legal work, the creation of shelters, and other non-repressive measures. Also, without a law, it is impossible to achieve a clear division of responsibilities between the state and the non-profit sector, which has been actively working on this problem for many years," he stated.

Chkadua expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the "parallel" amendments. "These amendments increase penalties. But, in my opinion, they will not solve the problem. Yes, we will help victims, but we will not prevent the crimes themselves. For example, by introducing a restraining order prohibiting the aggressor from even approaching the victim for a certain period—up to three years. Parliament believed that a law on violence prevention was difficult, complex, and, most importantly, expensive—shelters would need to be created, their staff would need to be paid, and funds allocated for their upkeep. Therefore, parliamentarians decided to take an easier route," she stated. Gezerdava also noted that it's not just the law's adoption that's important, but also its implementation. "It's important who will work on it, which specialists. Only human rights institutions have experience in this area. The state—and we've clarified this—doesn't record domestic violence at all. Despite the absence of a law, the Criminal Code contains a number of articles that could very well be applied against aggressors, but law enforcement has no such practice. In my opinion, this is the law enforcement system's overall approach to the problem. "The adoption of the law is an important, but not the only step that needs to be taken. "The passage of the law will require a great deal of effort, which will have to be directed toward its implementation," he stated.

Saida Sirazhudinova, President of the Center for the Study of Global Contemporary and Regional Issues "Caucasus. World. Development," noted that domestic violence has "become the norm" in the Caucasus. "It's part of upbringing. Society has been instilled with this. It's a fact of the normalization of violence, socialization in conditions of violence, and, of course, power over the weak. Not in all families, of course. There are examples of children being carried around, most often boys. But there are also examples of fathers, fearing the difficult life their daughters will have, building houses for them in advance, trying to protect them. Such a woman will not tolerate violence in the future. But, unfortunately, most women live difficult lives, and violence is quite common, especially from stepmothers. "Stepmothers and women who are given someone else's child, after themselves becoming victims of violence, take it out on their children. Violence begets violence," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Sirazhudinova emphasized that to eradicate violence, we need to change approaches to parenting and prevent its normalization. "Violence against the weak occurs all over the world." "But we need to fight it when it's accepted by society," she concluded.