To contribute to the prevention of violence against women and children, the Ombudsman’s office of RA has prepared a draft Law "On Domestic Violence". The draft law was submitted to the National Assembly (Parliament) of the Republic of Abkhazia.

The commissioner pointed out that “It is necessary to stop the criminal mobocracy in the country. Recurrently media and social network platforms incorporate real-time information on acts of homicide. These cases often include women, who fall victim to the violence of their relatives. Year after year our society is shocked by the news of brutal murders of women at the hands of their relatives. I associate the observed increase in the number of extrajudicial killings in the country with the fact that law enforcement agencies do not adequately cope with their duties, while authorities and society fail to undertake an appropriate assessment of the criminal situation. Almost in all the cases, with few exceptions, the prosecution authorities did not carry out all the necessary investigative measures nor did they initiate criminal proceedings. If the cases were initiated, after all, they were cut short and withheld from the court for unclear reasons, consequently leaving the perpetrators unpunished. Considering the scope of negative consequences that such crimes can bring about for society, and the very fact that the decline in such crimes does not occur, I find it necessary to reinvestigate the cases that were cut short over the course of few years. The cases of femicide by close relatives should be reassessed according to the severity of crimes committed. If a manifestation of negligence is revealed during the investigation, which has led to the concealment of the crime, then higher officials in the internal affairs bodies and the prosecutor's office should be held accountable.

It is necessary to develop a system aimed at the prevention of gender-related violence on a state level. Law enforcement officials should be informed on their role in preventing the spread of such criminal acts and on the importance of disclosure in criminal proceedings. There should be clear response tools to such offenses. Detailed instructions for their correct qualification and the responsibility for concealment and ineffective investigation should be developed. Improving the Effectiveness of Law Enforcement and Justice Officers in combating gender-related violence must be a priority for Law enforcement officials. This work cannot be delayed any further and should be carried out today, if not yesterday.

The law "On Protection from Domestic Violence" will allow us to introduce a comprehensive system of prevention and protection from domestic violence in the country. The draft law includes all the ideas and proposals developed as a result of many years of work of civil society organizations (the Association of Women of Abkhazia, the Center for Humanitarian Programs, the Children's Fund, etc.) with vulnerable categories of the population, as well as the results of generalizing the practice of law enforcement agencies and social services.”