Domestic violence increases at weekends

According to a report prepared by a subcommittee of the Parliamentary Commission on Equal Opportunity for Women and Men said women should receive shelter and help during the weekends, as they are exposed to domestic violence more often during those times.
If necessary, public guest houses should be allocated for such women until they are placed in a protection house, the report said.
The family court reportedly does not work outside of normal working hours or during the weekends, but public prosecutors should have the authority to make decisions to protect spouses in cases of emergencies during these times, the report said. Centers should also be opened in the provinces for victims after domestic violence, it said.
The Family Protection Law No. 4320 says a spouse who uses violence at home is banned from entering the home or coming close to the family for a certain amount of time. Also, if the spouse who uses violence has a gun, it must be taken away by the police, according to this law.
However, the law is criticized for being valid only for spouses who are legally married. The subcommittee’s report said couples who live together out of official wedlock, such as those who live together after a divorce or who have made a religious marriage but not a legal one, should be protected under the law.
According to the report the protection mechanism should be eased and women exposed to domestic violence should not be forced to prove the abuse. “A clause saying ‘a document is not necessary for giving protection to a spouse’ should be added to the law.”
The danger of being exposed to violence should be enough for a preliminary injunction, said the report, adding that social violence should be listed to other types of violence that include physical, sexual, psychological, economic and verbal forms.
The Children’s Court and the Family Court should also be combined as the Associated Family Courts, said the report while the settlement of payment should be made in cases when women who are the victim of violence do not receive alimony.
Accordingly, the payment should be collected from the spouse at fault. The report also said Women Support Funds should be formed for women who wish to establish new homes.
The personnel should tell the victimized women what can be done and point out some alternatives instead of telling her what she cannot do, said the report, which emphasized that training should be provided to employees. At the same time, units of family prosecutors and police specializing in their fields should also be established, the report said.

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