The State Duma of the in the Russian Federation [official website], the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, voted [official voting results] to approve a bill aimed at de-criminalizing domestic assault [bill text, PDF, Russian] when committed by a first-time offender. The bill will now be read for a third time by the Duma, and will require the approval of the upper house, the Federation Council of Russia, and President Vladimir Putin before becoming law [BBC report]. Under the bill, first time offenders who cause less serious injuries could face fines or community service rather than imprisonment.

Domestic violence has recently become a point of contention in Russian politics. In July, parliament adopted contentious legislation that criminalized violence against family members. Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch reported that the passage of the bill will weaken the country’s protections against domestic violence [JURIST report]. Citing concerns over the impact this legislation has on “traditional family values,” some Russian politicians have introduced a bill to reverse the July legislation. Last March the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), a UN mandate created to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women [official websites], called [JURIST report] on Russia to amend, reduce and revise a list of restricted or prohibited occupations and sectors for women established by the law and to give women the appropriate compensation, reparation and access to jobs for which they are qualified. Statistics show [RG report, in Russian] that 40 percent of all violent crimes in Russia are occurrences of domestic violence.