Domestic Violence Against Women in Lithuania and Poland: Seeking Adequate Protection of Victims

Abstract

AbstractVictims of domestic violence—the majority of whom are women—require specific treatment and assistance from several institutions and professionals. The key duty of such institutions and professionals is to provide adequate support by meeting the individual needs of a particular victim. At the same time, the need for correction of the violent behaviour of aggressors is emphasised in many countries.The main objective of the national programmes targeting domestic violence in Poland and Lithuania is to reduce the overall scale of domestic violence in the country. Considerable attention is also given to victim protection. However, according to the results of recent empirical research, Lithuania lacks a unified institutional approach and multi-agency cooperation, especially with regard to institutions providing specialised assistance to victims of violence. Poland faces similar challenges. This issue is of particular importance in light of the EU’s potential accession to the Istanbul Convention. Taking this into account, this chapter discusses the need for adequate protection of victims in line with a coordinated multi-agency approach to domestic violence. Moreover, a comparative analysis will be presented not only by comparing the mechanisms of protection for women victims of domestic violence in Lithuania and Poland, but also by identifying examples of good practice in both countries.KeywordsDomestic violenceViolence against womenSpecialised legislationInstitutional protectionMulti-agency cooperation