Avatar photo

Martin Harris

Minister and Deputy Head of Mission to Russia

Part of UK in Russia

5th March 2015 Moscow, Russia

International Women, acting together against domestic violence

International Women’s Day is a huge festival in Russia, and the biggest sales day of the year for florists across the country. But yesterday in Ekaterinburg we marked the occasion with a more practical demonstration of what International Women’s Day means. With support from our Consulate in Ekaterinburg, the directors of womens’ crisis centres and refuges from 36 towns across the Urals and Western Siberia met to discuss how best to protect women from domestic violence and ensure the successful prosecution of its perpetrators.

blog1

blog3

Also present were representatives of The Haven in Wolverhampton, which has been working since 1997 with the ‘Ekaterina’ crisis centre in Ekaterinburg in improving awareness and responses to the problem of domestic violence in Russia and the UK. I first met Kath Rees from the Haven and Ludmilla Ermakova of ‘Ekaterina’ back in 2000 when they were part of a network of crisis centres drawn up to exchange Russian and British expertise. This time I was really impressed by two things – their determination to see womens’ rights defended, and the fact that their partnership has endured and developed through all these years. Thanks to the close friendship and professional cooperation between them, there has been real progress in seeing domestic violence treated as a crime and successfully prosecuted as such. Theirs is an inspiring example to mark International Womens’ Day.

blog2

blog4

About Martin Harris

I am the Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Moscow. In my last job I was the Ambassador at the British Embassy in Bucharest. Previously I…

I am the Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy
in Moscow. In my last job I was the Ambassador at the British Embassy in
Bucharest. Previously I have served at the British Embassies in Kyiv
and Moscow as well as at the UK Delegation to the OSCE in Vienna.
I love music, especially opera, chamber and sacred music. I am
married to Linda MacLachlan. We have three daughters, Catriona, Tabitha
and Flora – and they have one dog Timur and two cats, Pushkin and Tolstoi.

Follow Martin