Nasiliu.net (No To Violence) is one of the leading Russian organizations dealing with the problem of domestic violence. The Russian government has ignored more than 40 legislative initiatives to protect victims of violence at home, and the resulting legislative gap allows abusers to go unpunished and leaves victims without access to legal protection. The organization supports victims of domestic abuse by offering free legal and psychological help through its Center. Nasiliu.net worked alongside Bnet, a tech company based in Russia, to develop an application that allows users who are facing domestic violence to call for help and send their location. Nasiliu.net receives a majority of its funding from individual donors and local philanthropic donations. They also partner with businesses and celebrities to campaign and raise money. Nasiliu.net sells merchandise through their website to reach a larger audience with their campaigns and to create revenue. In addition, the organization relies on the support of volunteers, through a program that pairs volunteers with victims who need someone to speak on their behalf to lawyers and other third parties. Many volunteers also offer the organization their professional skills.
Theory of Change
Campaigning alongside businesses and celebrities, along with volunteer engagement, raises awareness about the problem of domestic violence. This increases the salience of the issue, which helps change social attitudes and provides momentum towards legislative efforts that seek to provide protection to victims.
Activities
Nasiliu.net has an on-premises Center in Moscow that provides victims of all genders and/or citizenships with integrated psychological and legal assistance without bureaucratic complexity. Consultations at the Center can cover a range of topics, including help with drafting police statements as well as divorce, alimony, establishing and challenging paternity, among other issues. The Center also provides special training to volunteers in order to be able to accompany victims to police stations or emergency rooms. Nasiliu.net’s mobile application has an alarm button which sends a message for help to five addresses pre-set by the user as well as a regularly updated map of all crisis centers in Russia. Their website provides resources on addressing domestic violence created by lawyers and psychologists and shares stories from victims. The organization also regularly engages in informational and educational campaigns to address public attitudes towards domestic abuse. In 2017, they launched a project called #MenAgainstViolence alongside famous Russian journalists, musicians, artists, and other public figures to speak out against domestic violence. In 2019, Nasiliu.net, alongside other domestic violence NGOs, partnered with the ad agency Room 485 to develop an interactive multimedia project called Project 911. The interactive game was created in response to a government amendment that decriminalized domestic violence.
Results
Nasiliu.net has made hundreds of thousands of people aware of the domestic violence problem in Russia. In 2019, Nasiliu.net’s Center became the first, and remains the only, place in Moscow where domestic violence survivors can receive psychological and legal assistance. In 2019, they held a fundraising campaign alongside an online-only insurance company. The campaign raised over $4,000 USD within one hour. That same year they held a live broadcast on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The event was attended by prominent female journalists and TV personalities, and more than 2 million people watched the broadcast. Between 2019 and 2020, Nasiliu.net received help from over 6,800 different partners and volunteers. In their efforts to promote the work of the organization and speak out against domestic violence, the organization’s founder, Anna Rivina, has given more than a hundred interviews and comments for the media and spoke at dozens of events. Additionally, the Center has produced 340 news articles and 27 publications, including stories of victims, guidance for victims and special projects.
