Vyedrintseva and other v. Ukraine

Several years ago in Dnipro, a young woman — the mother of three children — died. The official cause of death was a heart attack. At the same time, her body showed more than 70 bruises, neighbors repeatedly called the police because of beatings, and the children were witnessing violence every day.

The case was closed seven times — and each time the decisions to terminate the criminal proceedings were overturned. Thanks to the work of Yuliia Seheda, Head of the Legal Department of MARTIN Club NGO, the investigation was repeatedly reopened and a new forensic examination was ordered.

Today, this case has been officially registered with the European Court of Human Rights. For us, this is an important indicator of a deeper problem in the system’s response to domestic violence.

We see how such cases are still often treated as “private matters,” how signals from neighbors do not always trigger real protection, how dozens of bruises are considered separately rather than as evidence of systematic abuse, and how children who witness violence remain outside the focus of investigations.

That is why we speak about the need for concrete changes: domestic violence must be investigated as a public crime; every report must be accompanied by a risk assessment and a protection plan; children in such cases must automatically be recognized as victims and receive comprehensive support; investigations must consider the full context, not just a single medical document; and real intersectoral cooperation must exist between police, social services, and specialized NGOs.

We are not calling for punishment for the sake of punishment. This is about early risk detection, protection, and prevention — so that the system starts working before tragedy happens.

MARTIN Club will continue to advocate for these changes together with partners and state institutions. Because in the absence of systemic solutions, it is always affected women and children who pay the price.