Russian Orthodox Church Defends Domestic Violence

And in another cheery bit of news, the Russian Orthodox Church is lobbying against the introduction of laws that will penalize domestic violence and for a ban on the very expression “domestic violence.” The Church insists that the state should not get involved in anything that is happening in a family because “family is sacred.”

Russia’s highest official in charge of the rights of children agrees:

“Constant excessive use of the term ‘domestic violence’ is a way of brainwashing, turning into zombies, intimidating families and parents,” Astakhov wrote on his Instagram page this spring. “The family is the safest place. A lot more crimes are committed in public places, on transport and in stores. Let’s treat the family with care.”

More than 14,000 women are murdered each year in Russia by their husbands and boyfriends. Over 600,000 women experience domestic abuse on a permanent basis.

Statistics on the incidence of child abuse are not routinely collected in Russia. It’s known, however, that 30% of children hospitalized as a result of domestic violence are infants under the age of one. At least 2 million children are subjected to physical and sexual abuse by their families.

All attempts to facilitate the prosecution of domestic violence crimes are angrily denounced by the Russian Orthodox Church. Only 2% of Russians practice the religion, yet the Church is extremely powerful because it services Putin’s agenda in return for enormous profits it is allowed to derive from selling tobacco, alcohol, and real estate.

The Church has collaborated eagerly and actively with Russia’s police state since the Stalin era, so it didn’t even have to adjust when former KGB agent named Putin came to power. The leaders of ROC are known for their outlandishly lavish lifestyles and ostentatious love of luxury.