The Office of the Human Rights Commissioner submitted draft amendments to current legislation concerning the protection of family relations and children's interests to Parliament.
28 November 2025
On November 25, 2025 the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner submitted a draft law "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Abkhazia in the Sphere of the Protection of Family (Domestic) Relations and Children's Interests" to the Parliament of the Republic of Abkhazia.
The development of this draft law was prompted by several factors.
First, the problem of violence in family (domestic) relations is, unfortunately, as pressing for Abkhazia as it is for other countries. According to statistics from the State Institution of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Demographic Policy of the Republic of Abkhazia "Social Support Service for Children and Families," from May 2017 to June 2025, the Service recorded 373 cases of violence in family (domestic) relations. However, the Service points out that these statistics do not reflect the full picture of the republic – the problem is latent.
According to statistics from the Women's Association of Abkhazia, from 2020 to 2025, 1,114 people contacted them, either directly experiencing domestic violence or facing family problems they could not resolve on their own.
The second reason for the development of this bill is the lack of a separate law on domestic violence, the need for which has been repeatedly raised in society. Moreover, in 2020, the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner developed and submitted to parliament a draft law of the Republic of Abkhazia "On Protection from Domestic Violence." However, consideration of this bill is currently not a priority, and there are no other legislative initiatives on this issue in parliament.
Furthermore, the legislation of the Republic of Abkhazia lacks any specific provisions aimed at preventing and combating domestic violence, rehabilitating victims of such violence, or facilitating behavioral modification and reintegration. In this regard, the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner has decided to introduce targeted amendments to existing laws.
The draft law proposes the following amendments aimed at improving the situation in this area:
1. Supplementing certain articles of the Criminal Code with a new qualifying element – "committing acts in the sphere of family and domestic relations."
2. Introducing the concept of "family and domestic relations" into the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses.
3. Establishing in criminal law and the legislation on administrative offenses, respectively, coercive criminal and administrative measures to be applied to individuals who commit crimes in the sphere of family and domestic relations.
4. Establishing an additional condition for reconciliation with the victim: completion of a correctional program for individuals who have committed crimes in the sphere of domestic relations, if such crimes fall into the categories of minor and moderate harm.
5. Reclassifying crimes (causing minor bodily harm and battery) committed in the sphere of domestic relations as public crimes, for which prosecution is carried out even without a complaint from the victim.
6. Supplementing procedural coercive measures with a restraining order.
7. Introducing into the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Abkhazia such a type of administrative offense as domestic disorderly conduct, as well as such administrative-legal measure as the issuance of a protective order, and a number of other amendments.
In order to comprehensively address the specifics of the issue under consideration, as well as the further effective implementation of its provisions, this draft law has been submitted to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia, and the Social Service. We hope that the draft law and the comments and suggestions received will be the subject of further constructive discussion in the People's Assembly – the Parliament of the Republic of Abkhazia.
You can read the full draft law and its explanatory note in the attached file.
The development of this draft law was prompted by several factors.
First, the problem of violence in family (domestic) relations is, unfortunately, as pressing for Abkhazia as it is for other countries. According to statistics from the State Institution of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Demographic Policy of the Republic of Abkhazia "Social Support Service for Children and Families," from May 2017 to June 2025, the Service recorded 373 cases of violence in family (domestic) relations. However, the Service points out that these statistics do not reflect the full picture of the republic – the problem is latent.
According to statistics from the Women's Association of Abkhazia, from 2020 to 2025, 1,114 people contacted them, either directly experiencing domestic violence or facing family problems they could not resolve on their own.
The second reason for the development of this bill is the lack of a separate law on domestic violence, the need for which has been repeatedly raised in society. Moreover, in 2020, the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner developed and submitted to parliament a draft law of the Republic of Abkhazia "On Protection from Domestic Violence." However, consideration of this bill is currently not a priority, and there are no other legislative initiatives on this issue in parliament.
Furthermore, the legislation of the Republic of Abkhazia lacks any specific provisions aimed at preventing and combating domestic violence, rehabilitating victims of such violence, or facilitating behavioral modification and reintegration. In this regard, the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner has decided to introduce targeted amendments to existing laws.
The draft law proposes the following amendments aimed at improving the situation in this area:
1. Supplementing certain articles of the Criminal Code with a new qualifying element – "committing acts in the sphere of family and domestic relations."
2. Introducing the concept of "family and domestic relations" into the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses.
3. Establishing in criminal law and the legislation on administrative offenses, respectively, coercive criminal and administrative measures to be applied to individuals who commit crimes in the sphere of family and domestic relations.
4. Establishing an additional condition for reconciliation with the victim: completion of a correctional program for individuals who have committed crimes in the sphere of domestic relations, if such crimes fall into the categories of minor and moderate harm.
5. Reclassifying crimes (causing minor bodily harm and battery) committed in the sphere of domestic relations as public crimes, for which prosecution is carried out even without a complaint from the victim.
6. Supplementing procedural coercive measures with a restraining order.
7. Introducing into the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Abkhazia such a type of administrative offense as domestic disorderly conduct, as well as such administrative-legal measure as the issuance of a protective order, and a number of other amendments.
In order to comprehensively address the specifics of the issue under consideration, as well as the further effective implementation of its provisions, this draft law has been submitted to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia, and the Social Service. We hope that the draft law and the comments and suggestions received will be the subject of further constructive discussion in the People's Assembly – the Parliament of the Republic of Abkhazia.
You can read the full draft law and its explanatory note in the attached file.
