Free examination by forensic medicine doctors for domestic violence victims
Free medical examination of domestic violence victims by forensic doctors, further to the Protector of Citizens’ proposal, has become a mandatory part of the measures envisaged in the Strategy for Prevention and Combating Gender-Based Violence against Women and Domestic Violence for the period 2021-2025.
For years, the Protector of Citizens has been urging that victims of domestic violence be provided with an urgent examination by forensic doctors in order to "fix" the evidence and to use that medical report later in court proceedings, thus making the adequate sanctioning of the perpetrator possible.
"Since 2004, in the capacity of a judge of the Misdemeanor Court in Belgrade and subsequently in the Republic, I have been addressing the issues of identifying and protecting domestic violence victims, primarily women, and creating opportunities for the competent authorities to take upon them specific assistance to victims in terms of prosecuting and punishing those who dare to commit violence. This has been carried out through the Strategy", said the Protector of Citizens, Mr. Zoran Pašalić.
Mr. Pašalić has stated that the practice has shown that many victims in court proceedings withdraw the statements given immediately after the violence occurred and thus impede the hearing of evidence for any reason, and that in such a situation an examination by authorized institutions would be a way to ensure that abusers do not escape punishment for their behavior.
"For all these years of work, I have noticed, on a sample of thousands of families, that the most severe consequence of domestic violence is the opening of the next round of violence, because living with domestic violence frequently breeds either a future abuser or a future victim" said Mr. Pašalić and added that the adopted solution was a good starting point as to the direction in which the competent authorities should head.
Pursuant to the Istanbul Convention and GREVIO Group recommendations, the suggestion from the Protector of Citizens’ normative opinion on the Proposed Strategy for Prevention and Combating Gender-Based Violence against Women and Domestic Violence for the period 2021-2025 to introduce "conducting free, specialist and forensic, medical and laboratory examinations and providing free psychological support compliant with the needs of victims of violence", has been adopted.
The proposal of the Protector of Citizens to use the phrase "women of different sexual orientation and gender identity" when referencing women from vulnerable social groups has been included in the Strategy as well, and elderly women have been categorized as a vulnerable social group.