SEIMAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA

RESOLUTION

ON THE ENSURING OF PROTECTION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

21 September 2016 No XII-2629

Vilnius

The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania,

acting in accordance with Article 1(1) of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Protection against Domestic Violence, which stipulates that domestic violence, due to damage caused to society, is attributable to the acts of public importance, and paragraph 2 of the said Article, which states that domestic violence is an act of violation of human rights and freedoms;

emphasising that Article 2(4) of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Protection against Domestic Violence stipulates that not only a person against whom domestic violence has been used, but also a child who has become a witness of domestic violence or lives in an environment exposed to violence are considered to be victims of domestic violence;

considering that Article 3 of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Protection against Domestic Violence stipulates that protection against domestic violence is implemented in compliance with the following principles: cooperation, participation, comprehensiveness, accessibility and quality, solidarity, appropriateness, coordination, legitimacy, protection of human rights and freedoms, proportionality, humanity, justice, effectiveness, impartiality and efficiency;

seeking to ensure more effective prevention of domestic violence and the provision of comprehensive assistance and protection to victims of violence, including children, resolves:

Article 1.

To propose to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania:

1) to supplement the 2014-2020 National Programme for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Provision of Assistance to Victims by adding provisions regarding the prevention of all forms of domestic violence against children in all its manifestations and the creation of a system of specialised assistance to children as well as the provision of such assistance and to appoint a person in the Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania responsible for coordinating the measures of this Programme;

2) in drawing up a draft of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Approval of Financial Indicators of the State Budget and Municipal Budgets for 2017 and the programmes for the use of European Union structural assistance, to earmark funds for ensuring within municipalities the sufficient number of psychologists providing specialised psychological assistance to victims of domestic violence, including children, as well as for improvement of the qualifications of such professionals;

3) to designate a responsible authority (the Lithuanian Department of Statistics) which would develop the methodology of research in all areas related to specific issues of domestic violence, collection of statistical data on domestic violence and analysis of such data, identifying the criteria that are important in order to evaluate the effectiveness of combating domestic violence and to ensure prevention.

To appoint a person in the Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania responsible for coordinating the collection of data on domestic violence and the analysis of such data;

4) to ensure cooperation of institutions at executive level (when preparing interinstitutional programmes, action plans, etc.) in the area of prevention of domestic violence and provision of assistance to victims of domestic violence and to appoint a person in the Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania responsible for coordinating actions of the institutions and their cooperation.

Article 2.

To propose to the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania:

1) to prepare the methodology for evaluation of the effectiveness of assistance to victims of domestic violence, including children;

2) together with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania to provide access for children to educational assistance and for all families with children (not only the families included in the register of families at social risk) to qualified psychological, legal or any other assistance and/or services related to the prevention and postvention of domestic violence.

Article 3.

To propose to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania to develop criteria for the identification of violence in the domestic environment of a child for employees of pre-school and general education establishments as well as recommendations on actions to be taken in the event of a suspected incident of domestic violence.

Article 4.

To propose to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania together with the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania to ensure systemic provision of information to the public about the issue of domestic violence and to approve a plan for consistent provision of information to the public, including the creation and dissemination of targeted social advertising that would form a dissuasive attitude towards the phenomenon of violence and raise public awareness about the system of assistance to victims of domestic violence.

Article 5.

To propose to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania to develop criteria for the identification of domestic violence for employees of healthcare institutions as well as recommendations on actions to be taken in the event of a suspected incident of domestic violence, and to update and disseminate the Methodological Guidance for Diagnosing Violence against Children.

Article 6.

To propose to the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania:

1) to prepare instructions and questionnaires to be used by officers going to the sites of incidents of domestic violence for recording detailed and informative data on an incident of domestic violence;

2) to impose on community officers the obligation to encourage socially vulnerable families to participate in events dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence.

Article 7.

To propose to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania together with the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania:

1) to analyse legal acts of the Republic of Latvia and other countries regulating the issues of protection against domestic violence and, on the basis of best practices of other countries, to assess the appropriateness of establishing by a law the grounds on which the measures for the protection of a victim of domestic violence (the obligation not to reside with the victim of domestic violence, not to approach him closer than a prescribed distance, not to communicate with him, and not to seek contact with him, etc.) could be imposed in civil proceedings, and if there is a need for immediate protection of a person, the said measures for the protection of the victim of domestic violence could be temporarily imposed by a police officer’s ordinance pending a court decision on the imposition of the measures for the protection against domestic violence in criminal or civil proceedings;

2) to assess the need to establish by legal acts a procedure for the exchange of collected information between police authorities and probation services characterising a person convicted of domestic violence.

Article 8.

To propose to the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania:

1) to ensure cooperation between municipalities in the exchange of best practices in the prevention of domestic violence and to support programmes related to the exchange of best practices by communities;

2) to devote consistent attention to the implementation of the provisions of Article 4 of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Protection against Domestic Violence, which establishes measures aiming at preventing domestic violence, to seek that prevention measures are provided for in a municipality’s strategic development plan and/or a municipality’s action plan/plans and that the implementation of these measures is ensured.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS	LORETA GRAUŽINIENĖ