Law of the Republic of Belarus No. 122-3 “on the Basic Activities Aimed at the Prevention of Offenses”

The law includes a set of preventative measures aimed at preventing domestic violence among others crimes and administrative offenses. Art. 1 defines domestic violence as the intentional actions of a physical, psychological, or sexual nature against a family member that violate his or her rights, freedoms, or legitimate interests causing physical and/or mental suffering. Art. 1 further defines family members to include relatives, dependents and other persons that live together in a common household. Art. 5 defines the “actors of prevention,” which include various State agencies and Non-Governmental Agencies. The “actors of prevention” must annually develop and approve comprehensive regional programs for crime prevention, including programs to prevent domestic violence in accordance with Art. 11. Art. 17 provides the basic preventative measures against domestic violence, including identification and elimination of causes of domestic violence, educational and informational work to prevent domestic violence, record-keeping of domestic violence instances, provision of temporary shelters to victims of domestic violence, among others. Finally, Art. 31 allows the issuance of a protective order against a person who has committed domestic violence. A protective order can compel the offender temporarily to leave the premises jointly occupied with the victim and prohibit disposition of joint property.