Citation

Johnson JE. NWSA J. 2001; 13(3): 153-168.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Johns Hopkins University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In the decade since the fall of communism in Russia, woman battery has become a more salient issue. On the one hand, the criminal justice system is failing to respond to woman battery. While this failure within the context of limited state capacity may not be surprising, police, prosecutors, and judges justify their behavior with familiar sounding arguments such as "she provoked it" or "it is a private affair." On the other hand, non-governmental crisis centers for women have proliferated across Russia. They provide real psychological and legal aid to woman battery victims and make claims upon the state that all woman battery must be punished. These two perspectives on woman battery illustrate the political tension around gender during post-communism about whether or not women should have the full rights of citizenship, especially the fundamental right to live free from bodily harm.