Improving Work Quality and Enhancing Competences of the Justice Chain to Protect Victims of Domestic and Gender-Based Violence

About this project

<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Domestic violence remains a serious problem in Lithuania. Police reported 47,9 thousand cases of domestic violence in 2017. There was a decrease of reports (41,5 thousand) in 2018, but in 2019 the number of reports increased up to 53 thousand.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">The need of the project is determined by the lack of skills and competences of law enforcement chain in organizing prevention of domestic violence, responding to incidents of domestic violence and conducting pre-trial investigation of domestic violence.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">The project aims to improve policies to prevent domestic violence, to strengthen the capacities of justice chain professionals,&nbsp;to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation in order to effective allocate functions within the justice chain.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">The project includes:</span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Study on the implementation of legal regulations in the area of gender-based violence and domestic violence.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Manual for justice chain professionals on evidence collection and evaluation.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Training<strong> </strong>for justice chain professionals and representatives of NGOs, also specialized training for police officers, community police officers and prosecutors.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Workshops in Lithuania and Norway.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Awareness raising for the public to promote a zero-tolerance approach to domestic violence.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Joint meetings among justice chain authorities, social partners and local municipalities.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Creation of risk management information system, which will help the police officers to identify risky persons (potential perpetrators) and start preventive pro-active actions.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Equipping the police officers with body-worn cameras.</span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Target groups of the project are representatives of the justice chain, NGOs, society and victims of domestic violence. &nbsp;</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif">Donor project partner Oslo Police District will share its knowledge and the best practice in the area of domestic violence and gender-based violence during the workshops organized within the project. The involvement of the Lithuanian project partners will ensure synergies between justice chain authorities.</span></span></p>

Bilateral cooperation results

Throughout the six workshops organized during the project, the donor project partner, Oslo Police District, shared its knowledge, insights, and experience in handling cases related to domestic violence (including investigative interviews, working with cases with limited evidence, collaborating with children in domestic violence cases, victim protection, and more). These workshops contributed to the exchange of Norwegian knowledge, experience, and best practices with Lithuanian participants from the justice chain. Representatives from Oslo Police District also took part in the project’s conferences and other meetings, and hosted a study visit, where Lithuanian Police representatives had the opportunity to learn about the activities of the Center for the Analysis of Risks in domestic violence incidents.

Project partners

• Oslo Police District Donor project partner· Norway
• Prosecutor General’s Office Project partner· Lithuania
• National Courts Administration Project partner· Lithuania