Problematic issues of preventing and countering domestic violence by the prosecutor’s office

Abstract

In modern realities, the issue of combating and preventing domestic violence is crucial, since many women and children become victims of such violence, and there are cases of domestic violence against men as well. Proceeding from the relevance of this paper, its subject lies in determining the role of the prosecutor’s office in preventing and countering domestic violence, which involves an analysis of the content of its duties and powers in this area of activity. During the study, the method of analysis and synthesis, the empirical method, and the comparison method were applied. This paper considered the issue of the role of prosecutor’s offices in preventing and countering domestic violence. The problems of legislative regulation of prosecutor’s activities in the system of preventing and countering domestic violence were also investigated. This is a common issue primarily because the norms of the current legislation do not clearly regulate what actions prosecutors can prevent or counteract domestic violence, because their powers include the direct procedural support of such criminal cases, i.e., after such violence has already occurred. In conclusion, it was noted that for the prosecutor’s office to effectively prevent and counteract domestic violence, it is necessary to amend Article 131-1 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which defines the functions of the prosecutor’s office in general, and the prosecutor in particular. It is advisable to supplement this Article with a part that would grant the prosecutor’s office the right to take measures to prevent and counteract domestic violence. The study conducted in this paper can form the basis of legislative activity upon adopting amendments to legislative acts governing legal relations in the field of preventing and countering domestic violence.