Native of Chechnya continues trend of escapes by victims of domestic violence

A story of a woman from Chechnya who fled domestic violence and was put on the wanted list by her relatives has continued a series of similar cases, human rights defenders note. By leaving her children in Chechnya, the woman gave the family additional leverage for blackmail, they emphasized.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on September 20, it became known that a native of Chechnya left Russia because of violence from her husband, to whom she was married when she was fifteen years old. Her husband and her father managed to get the law enforcement bodies to put the young woman on the wanted list.

Aida Mirmaksumova, the head of the “Fathers and Daughters” project, emphasizes that the story of the native of Chechnya is typical. At the same time, the human rights defender notes that the husband still has a strong lever to put pressure on the woman, since she had to leave without her children. “In this case, the family will put pressure on her through her children. They will record videos for her with the children crying and asking: ‘Mom, please come back.’ In general, after some time after leaving, the anger goes away and a woman begins to long for those she loves,” the human rights defender states.

The head of the “Fathers and Daughters” project suggests that it is “almost impossible” for relatives to return the woman from Europe, but she may decide to return because of her children.

Saida Sirazhudinova, the President of the Centre for Studying Global Issues of Modernity and Regional Problems "Caucasus. World. Development", notes that the problem in such stories is that evacuation is not always the end of problems. “A woman should choose a new place more carefully, with preparation. Threats can be voiced against her relatives and friends, and she can be blackmailed in such a way. So, if a woman leaves she should immediately cut off contact with those who are under threat,” Saida Sirazhudinova explained.

The young women who escaped from domestic violence and did not stay in Russia have a better chance of not being forcibly returned back, believes activist and feminist Lena Patyaeva, a friend of Seda Suleimanova, who was forcibly taken to Chechnya.

“The most important advice in such situations is not to give in to persuasion that everything has changed, there will be no more violence, and you need to return,” the activist emphasized.