Russian women are locked in a vicious circle of violence and impunity
for their attackers, rights group Amnesty International charges in a yearly
report released to the media.
The London-based agency called on the authorities to take measures to
combat rampant violations of women's rights, warning that until then women
-- who make up a majority of Russia's population -- remain at risk.
In war-torn Chechnya in particular, women face a "horrific spectrum
of abuse, ranging from torture and rape to extrajudicial execution," the
report said Friday.
In several instances cited by the report, witnesses questioned by the
agency testified that pregnant Chechen women were raped by Russian soldiers
while in detention.
"Rape is not only used as a weapon of war -- women detainees are also
victims of this form of torture at the hands of law enforcement officials,"
the group reported.
Russian women in the country's numerous jails fare little better, as
"conditions in pre-trial detention facilities and prison colonies are unimaginable
and reminiscent of the Stalin era: overcrowded, unhygenic and inhuman."
The imprisoned women have no hope that their perpetrators will be brought
to justice, as "prosecutors are notoriously reluctant to take into consideration
allegations... of sexual harassment, intimidation, torture or ill-treatment
in police custody."
Even women living far from conflict zones or jails were threatened,
as "disrespect for their integrity left them vulnerable as victims of domestic
violence and pawns to be trafficked for forced prostitution," the agency
said.
According to earlier reports, nearly 25 percent of all Russian women
are victims of domestic violence.