NEW YORK -- It is under-recognized and under-reported. It is also one of the most significant epidemics in the Russian Federation today. It is gender violence, manifested essentially as violence against women. A recent report by Amnesty International, "Russian Federation: Nowhere to Turn to: Violence against women in the family," calls renewed attention to the phenomenon and to the urgent need to adopt more effective policies for combating it.
The statistics are frightening. It is estimated that each hour one woman in the Russian Federation dies at the hand of a relative, her partner or a former partner. Violence against the family occurs in all 89 regions of the Russian Federation, affecting all ethnic backgrounds and social spheres.
According to Natalia Abubikirova, executive director of the Russian Association of Crisis Centers, "The number of women dying every year at the hands of their husbands and partners in the Russian Federation is roughly equal to the number of all Soviet soldiers who died in the 10-year-long war in Afghanistan."