MOSCOW, March 1 (RAPSI) - Russia’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova insists that there is a need to draft and adopt legislation to fight against domestic violence, the statement published on the ombudsman’s website on Thursday reads.

Moskalkova stands for a complex approach to the problem and thinks it is necessary to take measures to prevent family violence, her representative said earlier during a round table discussion of the results of adopting the battery decriminalization law.

Participants of the round table discussion organized by the Public Chamber, including representatives of law enforcement bodies and public members, concluded that decriminalization of beating negatively influenced the protection of the institution of family. They defined liberalization of criminal legislation regarding domestic violence as discriminative and conflicting with interests of the state and society.

In February 2017, President Vladimir Putin signed a bill partially decriminalizing domestic violence into law. Under the law, battery of family members that does not cause bodily harm and is not repeated would not result in criminal punishment. Battery was equated to minor assault punishable by a 30,000-ruble ($530) fine, 15 days in detention, or 120 hours of community service.