Lithuanian ministry drafts protection orders lasting up to six months

Lithuania’s Ministry of Social Security and Labour is preparing legislation for court-ordered protection from domestic violence lasting up to six months, LRT reports. Specialists say longer-term orders are needed in cases of ongoing abuse.

Nearly 2,000 people were identified as being at risk of domestic violence in the first half of this year. Gabija, who has been going through divorce proceedings for six years, says she experienced physical, psychological and economic abuse.

She said her former husband compared her to their dog, telling her she was entirely dependent on him for food. At the time, she was not working after having a baby. She also said he publicly smeared her as the children’s mother, spread false information about her and sought to make her lose her job.

Gabija said institutions needed to change how they viewed abuse. She objected to cases being described as parental conflict, asking whether an assault by a stranger in the street would also be treated as a conflict.

Protection orders have been used since 2023 to prevent immediate outbreaks of physical domestic violence. They last 15 days. Nomeda Cibarauskienė, a consultant at a specialised support centre, said the short-term order could address an immediate risk, but many cases required longer protection.

Police issued 8,300 orders in the first half of this year. Last year, 24% of people who received an order received one again, said Ramūnas Matonis, head of the Police Department’s communications division. He said one person had received an order 14 times.

Dalia Puidokienė, head of the Veda vidus centre, said victims may let an abuser back into their lives because of pressure from the perpetrator, family or others around them. She said it could be especially difficult for someone who had already experienced violence and lacked support.

Domestic violence expert Dovilė Masalskienė said a longer-term order could help prevent systematic abuse, including intimidation, threats and stalking. She said police assessments made at the scene might not immediately reveal signs of psychological abuse or stalking.

A consultant at a specialised support centre said there could be a gap when evidence was not sufficient to open a pre-trial investigation or pursue criminal charges, but other protective measures were still needed. More than 1,780 people received specialised support after experiencing domestic violence this year.