1Reviews and everything / Elimination of Violence Conference Conclusion
.docAlex Kvartalny
Group 501
Conference conclusion
I would like to thank all the guests for your active participation at the conference. We have been able to get a comprehensive picture of the domestic violence legislation both in Europe and North America. We were also happy to have the delegate from the Republic of South Africa with us here today. In addition to that, recommendation and ways of improving the legislations were voiced. We could also get a picture of the legislation’s future.
As the situation with domestic violence is different in every country, the measures taken have also been different. However, they have a lot in common. For example, bills have been introduced that grant a victim the right of protection order, enable law-enforcement agencies to arrest the abuser, fine him or increase penalty for breaching protective orders, legislation that simplifies the procedure, takes care of the problem of child abuse, that deals with reinstitution of either the victim or the perpetrator. Also, introducing hotlines for people being victimized has been highly effective in many countries. Some countries, like France for instance, have been implementing electronic surveillance measures. Many shelters appeared where the victim can go to temporarily if the situation at home gets out of control.
And yet, a lot remains to be done. The legislation introduced needs better enforcement, police need better training while treating the cases of domestic violence and abuse. In some countries tougher sanctions must be implemented. And because of migration victims need to have better access to the information available. So there is some work for interpreters and translators. Also, most important is to combine societal and juridical actions.
In conclusion, I can add that the statistics show that the preventive measures taken against domestic violence have proven effective. We must also bear in mind that it is much easier to prevent a disaster than deal with the aftermath of it. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Thank you once again for coming to our annual 21st Conference on Domestic Violence Legislation. We hope you have enjoyed it and we will be happy to see you again next year.