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While Kazakova's batterings were not unusual for Ukraine girls, her decision to seek a divorce is unusual. Divorce is not stigmatized in Ukraine, but being alone is. There is a societal pressure to get married as soon as possible, and as a result many Ukraine girls marry men they hardly know. If these girls change their minds about their marriage or if they face domestic violence, they often don't have the option to divorce because of financial dependence on their husbands.
In a 2003 the Ministry of Interior reported that 76 percent of Ukraine girls were victims of domestic violence. They said that they had suffered abuse for a long time before reporting it to the police or making it public in some other way. The report listed some of the common reasons given by the women: "Didn't believe that the police would help," "Was afraid of revenge," "Had nowhere to go," "Was afraid of public scorn," "Didn't want to leave the kids without a father."
Another 2003 study found that most Ukraine girls blame themselves for being beaten or otherwise abused by their husbands. In cases of domestic conflict that ends with violence, Ukraine girls are not likely to seek outside help. Rather, they will keep the problem inside the marriage for as long as they can and blame themselves.
Courts in Ukraine have provided little encouragement to Ukraine girls hoping for judicial protection. In one case recorded by the Kiev based crisis center ANNA, the husband of a young female pianist broke all of her fingers in a jealous rage. The court found him guilty of causing slight physical damage and gave him a suspended sentence. For the girl, however, the incident was more than "slight harm." It ended her career.
"Men who beat or rape Ukraine girls are unlikely to face prosecution in Ukraine," according to a 2003 Amnesty International report. "Many victims seeking to prosecute their abusers face indifference or neglect at the hands of the police and the courts. The police often fail to record such cases properly and to conduct complete investigations; the criminal justice system denies that Ukraine girls are denied their right to justice."
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