Human rights activists have recorded a surge in requests for assistance in the North Caucasus.

Human rights organizations, including those assisting women in the North Caucasus republics, have recorded an increase in requests for assistance. They believe this is due both to the worsening situation in the country and to women's greater willingness to fight for their rights.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," domestic violence in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and Chechnya affects women of all ages, but it is primarily young women under 30 who seek to escape it, human rights activists from the Ad Rem team noted in their report. The problem of evacuating victims of domestic violence is most acute in these regions, as authorities and security forces there side with domestic abusers.

The human rights organization "Crisis Group SK SOS" (included in the register of foreign agents) reported a record high number of requests for assistance on its Telegram channel on April 10.

"In March, we received a record number of requests - 47. The previous high was in January, when we received 38 requests. Some of these requests were urgent, requiring immediate assistance. In April, we continue to receive numerous requests. Due to the heavy workload, the response time may increase to up to one week if the request is not urgent. Urgent requests will be processed on an urgent basis," the publication stated.

Several factors contributed to this increase in requests, she explained to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Alexandra Miroshnikova, press secretary for the SOS Crisis Group.

"There's no single reason we can pinpoint. Rather, it's a combination of factors. First, the overall deterioration of the situation in the country—not just in the region, but in the entire country. The situation is getting worse, and fewer and fewer people see the option of staying in the country, even after leaving the North Caucasus republics. That's one. Two: other organizations are cutting back on their assistance." "Over the past six months, the amount of support other organizations can provide has declined significantly—not because they don't want to, but because they simply lack the funds and resources," she said.

The situation for women in both the region and the country is getting significantly worse.

Miroshnikova emphasized that this pattern, however, doesn't account for the increase in requests from heterosexual women. "As far as we know, there have been no significant cuts in this area; neither 'Caucasus Without a Mother,' nor 'Marem,' nor other women's rights organizations have announced any reductions in their work. "Here, it's more likely that the situation for women in both the region and the country is getting significantly worse, and that's why the number of requests to us and, we're sure, to other women's rights organizations is growing," she said.

The human rights organization Marem has also noted an increase in requests for assistance this year, Marem coordinator Ekaterina Neroznikova told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

We now receive almost 40 requests almost every month.

"While last year we could still say that our average number of requests per month was 25-30, now we receive almost 40 requests almost every month, and in April, by mid-month, we have already registered 30 requests. So, yes, there has been an increase," she said.

23:55 21.06.2025

Human rights activists call AI assistant for domestic violence victims a formality

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Neroznikova, however, found it difficult to identify the reasons for the increase in requests. "Maybe people have more information now. Maybe it's connected to something else, I don't know. But I highly doubt it's connected to the surge in violence, although sometimes it's tempting to interpret it that way. In general, as far as we know, violent crime is declining in many countries. So, in our case, it's more about women's awareness of their rights," she said.

The coordinator of the "Motherless Caucasus" movement in Chechnya and Dagestan also noted an increase in the number of requests.

In her opinion, two factors contributed to this. "Firstly, problems are getting worse, making it harder to defend oneself. Secondly, people are better informed about the situation and see that they have a right to protection. But the organization's growing visibility also plays a significant role," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

At the same time, the human rights organization "Team Against Torture" (included in the register of foreign agents) have not seen an increase in the number of requests in recent months, a representative of this organization told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.