The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection in Belarus have been working toward a law for the prevention of domestic and family violence, to be prepared for discussion in May 2015. According to research conducted by UNFPA in 2014, 77 percent of Belarusian women and men aged 18 to 60 have experienced some form of domestic violence. In addition, one in three women are subjected to physical abuse, and one in five experience sexual violence in their family. With regards to childrearing practices, only a third of children in Belarus are raised without the use of violence.
The development of a law on domestic violence is an important step both at the state and the international levels. Similar laws are already in place in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Lithuania, Austria, Great Britain, Spain and many other countries. Belarus and Russia, however, still do not have laws to address the prevention of domestic violence.