DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: Analysis of the Judicial Practice of the Basic Court in Niš

Abstract

The subject matter of analysis in this paper is domestic violence against children, and abuse and neglect of children during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is observed through the judicial practice of the Basic Court in Niš in the period from 15 March 2020 to 1 March 2023. The paper aims to determine the number of criminal proceedings dealing with the criminal offense of domestic violence committed against a minor and the criminal offense of child abuse and neglect in the family, which were conducted and legally concluded in front of the Basic Court in Niš in the specified period, and to determine whether the scope of domestic violence against children, expressed through conducted and completed procedures in the specified period is higher than in the three-year period before the outbreak of the pandemic. Criminal proceedings in domestic violence cases instigated before the Basic Court in Niš during the COVID-19 pandemic were conducted and largely completed in the specified period. Domestic violence against children was manifested through different forms of physical or psychological violence, or a combination of both in some cases. When it comes to the criminal offense of child abuse and neglect, two criminal proceedings were conducted and completed in the specified period. Data from the civil society organizations and media reports account for an increase in domestic violence in general and violence against children in particular during the pandemic, but their data do not match the data from the judicial practice of the Basic Court in Niš.