Legal Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence during the COVID19 Pandemic: Analysis of Solutions Adopted By Selected European Countries

Violence in the family is a serious social problem that occurs in every country in the world and has negative consequences not only for families but also for societies and countries as a whole. Violence in the family is above all a threat to the public security of the state. However, one should not forget that experiencing violence has a destructive impact on the life and health of victims. One of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is the isolation of society. Isolation, which in the case of a victim of domestic violence often means constantly being with the perpetrator and thus constant feeling of threat, fear and uncertainty. Reports from countries in different regions of the world indicate that during the pandemic the number of victims of domestic violence has increased and their situation has become extremely difficult. Undoubtedly, this requires intensified efforts to counteract domestic violence and to implement new legislative solutions, which should aim to strengthen the protection of victims of domestic violence in this demanding time. This research analyzed the legal solutions in the field of domestic violence prevention implemented by selected European countries during the COVID -19 pandemic. The methods specific to the legal sciences were applied, namely the dogmatic method and the comparative legal method. To illustrate the analyzed problem, reports and statistics on the increase in cases of domestic violence during the pandemic were presented.