This event was part of the U.S. Embassy’s quarterly “Ambassadorial Roundtable to Combat Domestic Violence.” At the beginning of the event, and in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Ambassador Derse awarded the Woman of Courage Awards for Lithuania to Nijolė Dirsienė (Vilnius Mother and Child House) and Kristina Mišinienė (Lietuvos Caritas). Dr. Margarita Jankauskaitė of the Center for Equality Advancement was the award winner last year. The Ambassador thanked Kristina Mišinienė for her “bold and effective fight against the trafficking of people,” and Nijolė Dirsienė for being “one of the stalwarts throughout the years” in the fight against domestic violence. Ambassador Derse mentioned that this award will be given out yearly by the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius.
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| US embassy photo/U.S Embassy Hosts Discussion on Progress Combating Violence Against Women in Lithuania |
After the award ceremony, Ambassador Derse invited members of the panel to offer their thoughts on the implementation and effectiveness of the law, as well as what could be the next steps in combating domestic violence. Representatives from the police, prosecutors, Seimas, government and NGOs all participated.
The police representative said the law was a “big achievement,” leading to the increase of many women’s personal safety. Since the law’s implementation on December 15th, the police have received 7,000 complaints and 2,998 pretrial investigations have been initiated. However, he also noted that the budget for the implementation of the law is very limited and there is still “much to do.” The representative from the prosecutor’s office pointed out that the new law importantly changes the rhetoric of domestic violence from a family matter to a state responsibility.
“This is just the beginning of the road,” the Ambassador remarked about the law. “There are challenges that we continue to need to meet.” But she commented that “Part of U.S. foreign policy is fighting violence against women,” and that the U.S. would continue to help Lithuania with this issue in the future.
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| US embassy photo/U.S Embassy Hosts Discussion on Progress Combating Violence Against Women in Lithuania |
