Criminal cases over violence against children are constantly dropped in Russian courts, a study finds...

Criminal cases over violence against children are constantly dropped in Russian courts, according to a study by Verstka and the University of Helsinki

Every fourth criminal case over beatings of children (Article 116 of the Criminal Code) was dropped in Russian courts. In addition, in 2021-2025, the following escaped punishment for violence against a child:

💜Every third defendant charged with causing moderate harm to health (Article 112 of the Criminal Code)

💜Every third defendant charged with making death threats (Article 119 of the Criminal Code)

💜Every fourth defendant charged with causing minor harm to a child’s health (Article 115 of the Criminal Code)

This is the conclusion reached by journalists from Verstka and researchers from the University of Helsinki after analyzing nearly 6,000 court rulings on violence against children.

Most often, cases are dropped because the parties reconcile. In domestic violence cases, the reconciliation usually takes place between the father and mother, one of whom is being tried for violence against their shared child, while the other represents that child’s interests.

Only 11% of defendants in criminal cases involving violence against children in 2021-2025 were sentenced to actual imprisonment.

Read the full study on how people are tried in Russia for violence against children in Verstka’s special project on the outlet’s website (with VPN):

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Verstka

How Russia Tries Cases of Violence Against Children: Verstka Special Project

The state calls children a policy priority, but cannot protect them from violence