WILPF/PeaceWomen themes covered:
General Women, Peace and Security: 3/17;
Conflict Prevention: 1/17;
Disarmament: 0/17;
Displacement and Humanitarian Response: 0/17;
Participation: 1/17;
Peace Processes: 2/17;
Peacekeeping: 0/17;
Protection: 4/17;
Reconstruction and Peacebuilding: 1/17;
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: 4/17;
Implementation: -1/17;
Justice, Rule of Law, SSR: 1/17;
Human Rights: 1/17.

S/PV.7533: "To date, one third of all non-profit organisations, and we have tens of thousands of them, are women’s organisations, which do a great deal of social and charity work aimed at supporting women, children and families; prevent domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual violence; and other activities important to the community."

WILPF/PeaceWomen themes covered:
General Women, Peace and Security: 1/1;
Conflict Prevention: 0/1;
Disarmament: 0/1;
Displacement and Humanitarian Response: 0/1;
Participation: 0/1;
Peace Processes: 1/1;
Peacekeeping: 0/1;
Protection:1/1;
Reconstruction and Peacebuilding: 0/1;
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: 1/1;
Implementation: 0/1;
Justice, Rule of Law, SSR: 0/1;
Human Rights: 0/1.

S/PV.7374: "We support the activities of the Security Council and the entire United Nations system aimed at fully taking into account the needs of women and children in policies and efforts in the area of peacekeeping and recovery, including in education, healthcare and the broadening of economic rights and opportunities."

Draft resolution on Bosnia and Herzegovina (S/2015/508): "Emphasises the important role that women and civil society, including women’s organisations and formal and informal community leaders, can play in mediation and post-conflict resolution; reiterating the continuing need to increase success in preventing conflict by increasing the participation of women at all stages of mediation and post-conflict resolution and by increasing the consideration of gender-related issues in all discussions pertinent to conflict prevention."

Draft resolution on Ukraine (S/2015/562) includes no gender-related language.

The Russian Federation gave a statement affirming support for Women, Peace and Security but made no specific commitments.

Profit from Arms Transfer in 2014: $5,468,000,000

_______________________________________

UN Women Government Total Contribution: $0

The Russian Federation was ranked 52nd.

__________________________________

HDI (Human Development Index):
The Russian Federation was ranked 50.

The Russian Federation is included in the "High Human Development" category.

Women from the Russian Federation are on duty in the following peacekeeping missions:

MINURSO (0),

MINUSTAH (0),

UNISFA (0),

MONUSCO (0),

UNMIK (1),

UNMIL (0),

UNMISS (2),

UNOCI (0),

UNTSO (0).

The representatives of the Russian Federation made no statements at the meetings of the Security Council (or at any other official international meetings) on their position on the sexual exploitation and abuse committed by peacekeepers).

Press statement SC/12010 on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and the Central African Republic was adopted by consensus.

The idea to develop a new convention was proposed in 2015 (by the troop-contributing countries through revisions of their laws and criminal procedures, or by changes to the memorandum of understanding). The representative of the Russian Federation suggested that alternative methods should be available to ensure accountability.

All NGOs: 223 605
Amendments enacted to the NCO (non-commercial organisations) Law in April 2010 introduced the status of “socially-oriented” organisations. Under the new law, socially-oriented organisations will be eligible for governmental support and preferential tax treatment. NGOs engaged in a broad range of activities, including traditional charitable work, the provision of free-of-charge legal aid and the protection of human rights, will be eligible for the new legal status, and in turn, for governmental support.

Key women's organisation's (ANNA) efforts in regard to gender issues include the following:
- Number of conferences: Unknown;
- Number of publications: 5+.

Types of social support provided:
Education: Yes
Anti-violence: Yes
Women's empowerment: Yes
Gender-related training: No
Political participation: No
Anti-human trafficking: No
Women's health: Yes
Lobbying and policymaking: Yes
Fundraising: No

The Russian Federation hosted the following high-level events in 2015:
- Preparing Global Leaders Summit.

**Note: The information about the high-level events has been collected using available media sources.

There is no National Action Plan on the Implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325 in the Russian Federation.

October, 2015 Debate: "Our position continues to be that national plans of action on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) cannot be used as an instrument to assess national policies aimed at enhancing the status of women."

Military Expenditure in 2014: $84,697,000,000
_____

There is no National Action Plan on the Implementation of Resolution 1325.

Lower: 13.6%;

Upper: 17.1%.

Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 0.07.

No gender differentiation in statistics provided by the State.

**Note: Data is available for 2011. As per Federal Law # 342-F3 (of 11/30/2011), the data on the number of police officers is not to be disclosed.​

**Note: Data is provided for 2014. Information on the percentage of women in the judiciary for the year of 2015 is not currently available. 

Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 0.87.

Unemployment rate (percentage of female/male labour force):
Female: 5.1%;
Male: 5.8%.

Estimated earned income (PPP US$):
Female: 19,886;
Male: 32,356;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 0.61.

Legislators, senior officials, and managers (%):
Female: 38, Male: 62;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 0.62.

Professional and technical workers (%):
Female: 64, Male: 36;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 1.77.

Jobs and Occupations Prohibited to Women:
Truck driver in agriculture; freight train conductor; deckhand (boatswain, skipper, assistant skipper and sailors of all denominations) on ships of all types of fleets as well as floating docks and cranes for loading grain, cement, coal and other dusty cargo; worker in integrated teams and longshoreman engaged in loading and unloading in ports and harbours; woodworker; installer of antennas at high places; mining rig operator; operator of chemical treatment of wells; lift machinist in oil and gas industry; bulldozer machinist; plumber involving the repair of sewer networks; metal and alloy smelter; driver of loading machine; pipe, furnace and flue cleaner; controller of speed of train wagons.

The enrolment difference between males and females is provided below (The theoretical maximum value is 100%. Increasing trends are considered a reflection of improving coverage at the specified level of education):

Literacy rate (%):
Female: 100;
Male: 100;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 1

Enrolment in primary education (%):
Female: 36;
Male: 36;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 1

Enrolment in secondary education (%):
Educational data for 2015 not available (UNESCO and GGI).

Enrolment in tertiary education (%):
Female: 85;
Male: 68;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 1.26

While gender perspecives within the legal frameworks exist, they are not always fully effective and discrimination (i.e.: gender, racial, and economic discrimination) can cause some groups to have disproportionate challenges equally accessing justice and utilising their rights.

Gender is mainstreamed into legal framework in accordance with international law.

In 2005, the Parliament Assembly of the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States adopted the Model Law “On State Guarantees of Equality of Rights and Opportunities for Men and Women.”

Although there are some law provisions prohibiting discrimination, they usually do not regulate gender discrimination separately.

General Victim and Witness Protection Law (enacted in 2004 and amended most recently in 2013).

The Russian Federation has no law guaranteeing equal opportunities for men and women in employment or education.

The Russian Federation has not enacted a comprehensive gender equality law, and “neither the Constitution [...] nor other appropriate legislation, contains a definition of discrimination or expressly prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex.

The Russian Federation has no comprehensive law, programmeor action plan to address domestic violence, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not updated its domestic violence information since 2008.

No provision in the Russian Criminal Code specifically addresses honour killings.

Russian law prohibits rape and sexual assault and contains no exceptions for rapes committed by spouses or relatives.

Currently domestic violence is not recognised as a separate offence by the Russian Criminal Code. The only applicable criminal provisions are those relating to bodily injuries or other crimes.

Gender perspectives in the Constitution:
Article 19:
- "All people are equal before the law and in the court of law";
- "The state guarantees the equality of rights and liberties regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, property or employment status, residence, attitude to religion, convictions, membership of public associations or any other circumstance. Any restrictions of the rights of citizens on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds are forbidden";
- "Man and woman have equal rights and liberties and equal opportunities for their pursuit".

Article 19 of the Russian Constitution guarantees equality between women and men. However, the Russian Federation has not enacted a comprehensive gender equality law, and “neither the Constitution . . . nor other appropriate legislation, contains a definition of discrimination or expressly prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex.”

Article 20:
Requires the state to prosecute cases of private-public prosecution even if a victim withdraws her complaint, although prosecutors generally refuse to pursue an investigation or open a criminal case against the accused if the victim quickly recants.

Article 21:
- "No one may be subjected to torture, violence or any other harsh or humiliating treatment or punishment. No one may be subjected to medical, scientific or other experiments without his or her free consent".

Article 24:
- "It is forbidden to gather, store, use and disseminate information on the private life of any person without his/her consent".
- "The bodies of state authority and the bodies of local self-government and the officials thereof provide to each citizen access to any documents and materials directly affecting his/her rights and liberties unless otherwise stipulated under the law".

Article 34:
- "Everyone has the right to freely use his or her abilities and property 622 for entrepreneurial or any other economic activity not prohibited by the law".

Article 35:
- "Everyone has the right to have property in his or her ownership, to possess, use and manage it either individually or jointly with other persons".
- "No one may be arbitrarily deprived of his or her property unless on the basis of decision by a court of law. Property can be forcibly alienated for state needs only on condition of a preliminary and equal compensation".

Article 37:
- "Work is free. Everyone has the right to make free use of his or her abilities for work and to choose a type of activity and occupation".

Article 42:
- "Everyone has the right to a favorable environment, reliable information about its condition and to compensation for the damage caused to his or her health or property by ecological violations".

Article 45:
- "State protection for human rights and liberties in the Russian Federation is guaranteed".
- "Everyone has the right to defend his or her rights and liberties by any means not prohibited by the law".

Article 46:
- "Everyone is guaranteed protection of his or her rights and liberties in a court of law".

Article 47:
- "No one may be denied the right to having his or her case reviewed by the court and the judge under whose jurisdiction the given case falls under the law".
- "Anyone charged with a crime has the right to have his or her case reviewed by a court of law with the participation of jurors in cases stipulated by the federal law".

Article 51:
- "No one is obliged to give evidence against himself or herself, for his or her spouse and close relatives, the range of which are established by the federal law".

Article 62:
- "Possession of the citizenship of a foreign state by the citizen of the Russian Federation does not belittle his or her ranks and liberties or exempt him or her from the duties stemming from Russian citizenship unless otherwise stipulated by the federal law or international treaty of the Russian Federation".

Criminal Code:

Article 127.1:
Punishes the purchase and sale or recruitment, transportation, transfer, or receipt of any person for the purpose of exploitation.

Article 127.2:
Specifically prohibits “Slave Labour."

Article 131 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:
Criminalizes rape, with harsher sentences for cases involving a juvenile victim, multiple rapists or the victim’s death.

Article 132:
Punishes other forms of sexual assault under the title “Violent Actions of Sexual Character."

While legal frameworks exist, they are not always fully effective and discrimination (i.e.: gender, racial, and economic discrimination) can cause some groups to have disproportionate challenges equally accessing justice and utilising their rights.

In the Russian Federation, since 2004, due to amendments to the Criminal Code, women prisoners no longer serve sentences in high-security regimes.

In the Russian Federation, federal legislation allows for mothers of children under the age of 14 and pregnant women who have been convicted of less serious offences to have their sentences deferred, shortened or revoked. Female prisoners who are pregnant or who have young children and who are imprisoned for less serious offences may have their sentences deferred until their children have reached the age of 14.

In two mother and baby units out of the 13 which exist in the Russian Federation, convicted women prisoners live in joint accommodation with their babies and may do so until the baby reaches the age of three (with some flexibility if the mother is due for release within a year). After this, the child goes into the care of family members or the appropriate welfare authorities. However, upon release women who wish to be reunited with their children face barriers as they are required to prove that they can provide financial support and accommodation.

In the Russian Federation, the right to free legal aid is reinforced by the Constitution, but it is a well-known fact that the service is not as widely available as it ought to be.

In 2012, the working group of the Russian Ministry of Labour and Social Protection’s Coordination Council for Gender Issues developed a draft federal law ‘On the prevention of family-domestic violence’. The working group was composed of lawyers who practice in the sphere of women’s rights defense and representatives of women’s NGOs, including the authors of this report. The draft law itself was praised by Russian civil society represented in the bodies of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights. Still, to this day, this draught law has not been passed – more than two years have elapsed since an overwhelming agreement on its provisions was established in the ministries and departments of the Government of the Russian Federation.

The Government of the Russian Federation does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. During the reporting period, the government referred 73 trafficking victims to an international organisation where they received care; however, the government lacked a national action plan to combat trafficking, a coordinating authority for anti-trafficking efforts, and funding in the federal and local budgets for trafficking prevention and victim protection. The government took no steps to fulfill commitments to implement a programme of Cooperation between Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Member States against Trafficking in Persons or to create an interagency committee to address trafficking. The government lacked a systematic process for the identification of victims or their referral to care, though reports indicated the government identified and assisted a limited number of victims on an ad hoc basis. Prosecutions remained low compared with the scope of Russia’s trafficking problem.

While specialised services to support victims/survivors of sexual violence exist, the service quality, resource provision, geographic availability, adequate service availability based on national demand, and the functionality of national mechanism are not fully effective. 

A systemic approach to protecting against sexual violence does not exist at the government level.

In 2012-2015 in the Russia Federation 5 non-governmental shelters were opened; most of them are partially funded by local governments.

New programmes aimed at the involvement of men into the movements on combating violence against women are launched in different regions of Russia and contribute to gender equality. One of the best practices is “Papa-groups” that teach men to become fathers and caregivers sharing parental responsibilities with the children’s mothers. This programme also includes domestic violence prevention component.

Increasingly restrictive Russian federal laws regulating the activities and foreign funding of NGOs (known as “foreign agent” laws) have compromised this support and made it more difficult for NGOs in Russia to advocate for women’s human rights.

A handful of Russian state institutions continue to focus on women’s issues, including the Committee on Women, Family and Youth of the State Duma (Parliament) and the Coordinating Council on Gender Issues within the Ministry of Health and Social Development. However, these institutions are underfunded and typically do not coordinate their activities. Moreover, they do not constitute a specialised government body with the authority and resources to function as the national gender equality machinery across all government agencies and, therefore, to ensure the Russian government’s compliance with its international obligations

Number of women's shelters: 42.

While veterans services for women veterans exist, the quality of service, outreach to engage female veterans in service access and utalisation, and the availability of gender-sensitive services at all locations are not fully effective.

Federal Law "On Veterans" (1995) states veterans are provided with the following social support:
- Pensions, allowances in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation;
- Monthly payments;
- Provision of accommodation;
- Compensation for payment of premises and utilities costs;
- Health care and orthopedic care.

The Federal Law "On Veterans" is not gender sensitive, although it provides regulations on services and other rights awarded to military veterans, which would include women since the serve in the military alongside men in many areas.

All-Russian public organisation of veterans (pensioners) of war, labour, armed forces and law enforcement agencies:
- Protection of civil, social, economic, labour veterans and personal rights;
- Improving the material conditions, medical and consumer veterans services;
- Legal assistance to veterans and their families;
- Patriotic education of youth;
- Military-historical work.

To receive a pension and other State services as a "Veteran of labour", a person must have been a minor during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and have at least 40 years (for men) and 35 years (for women) of work experience.

While specialised services to support victims/survivors of sexual violence exist, the service quality, resource provision, geographic availability, adequate service availability based on national demand, and the functionality of national mechanism are not fully effective

Services are technically in place, but are drastically inadequate to meet national demands.

1 national 24 hour free women’s helpline;

1,333 social services providing assistance to women in a “difficult life situation”(domestic violence is included in this category);

42 women's shelters offer specialised assistance to women who are victims of domestic violence.

National Registry (Genome):
With regard to crimes against sexual inviolability and sexual freedom of the individual, in which genomic registration will be carried out regardless of their severity, the special place these crimes aside due to the fact that the efficiency of the utilisation of genetic surveys for their disclosure is greatest. It was proved that "the formation of the genetic characteristics database advisable to start, especially in cases of sexual offenses, in the presence of the material and technical conditions for extending its scope and covering other serious crimes against the person". This makes it possible in some cases to use a genetic database and when none of the genotypes in the database are to be forensic matches registration data entities received.

While specialised services to support victims/survivors of human trafficking exist, the service quality, resource provision, geographic availability, adequate service availability based on national demand, and the functionality of national mechanism are not fully effective. 

Most financial support for anti-trafficking efforts are provided from international entities, and the vast majority or anti-human trafficking efforts are conducted by national NGOs (namely the Angel Coalition - who's website is currently unavailable). While anti-human trafficking services and resources do exist, they are inadequate to fully meet the needs of victims of human trafficking.

The Russian government demonstrated limited efforts to prevent trafficking during the reporting period. In June 2014, a Federation Council Deputy submitted a bill to significantly increase the penalties for inducement to prostitution, organisation of brothels, and advertisement of sexual services; the bill would increase the maximum sentence for these crimes to 10 years’ imprisonment, as opposed to a fine of 2,000 to 2,500 rubles ($30-$40).The Duma Committee for Criminal Legislation had not received the bill for review at the end of the reporting period.The government made no efforts to develop public awareness of forced labour or sex trafficking.The government did not have a body to monitor its anti-trafficking activities or make periodic assessments measuring its performance. The government did not take efforts to reduce the demand for forced labour.The government did not provide anti-trafficking training or guidance for its diplomatic personnel. It declined an offer from an international organisation to provide anti-trafficking training to the foreign diplomatic community in Moscow.

Many municipal trafficking shelters are actually domestic violence shelters and therefore are not equipped with the specific resources and knowledge to effectively address the needs to trafficking victims.

The Angel Coalition programmes and projects appear to be the main source for training on human trafficking in the Russian Federation, prevention, protection, and identification of trafficked persons.

The Angel Coalition operates international hotlines to provide immediate assistance to Russian-speaking trafficking victims. Skilled experts provide free 24-hour legal and psychological consultations for victims and their families, offer recommendations, and provide other necessary help including contacts with police trafficking task forces who can provide immediate rescue assistance in countries around the world. The hotline is toll-free and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

While a wide range of services and resources are made available to refugees, asylum seekers, and IDPs, these services are usually provided by local service providers, therefore making these services and resources less available in some geographic locations.

Total population of refugees, stateless persons, IDPs, and asylum-seekers: 354,450

Migrants who receive legal status in the Russian Federation are entitled to receive the same social and medical benefits as Russian nationals. They are resettled within the country according to regional quotas defined by the federal government, are limited in selecting places of residence, and have their travels inside the Russian Federation monitored by the authorities.

Persons recognised as refugees, including accompanying family members, are entitled to the following rights (via Federal Law No. 45-281 of Feb. 19, 1993 on Refugees):
- Information about their rights and responsibilities through translation services if required, including assistance with document processing;
- A travel allowance and baggage shipment to their assigned place of residence;
- Protection by the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the place of temporary accommodation to ensure their safety;
- Food and public utilities in the centres of temporary accommodation;
- Access to housing paid from a special fund for temporary accommodation;
- Medical assistance in an amount equal to that received by Russian citizens;
- Vocational training and job placement assistance;
- Employment or the opportunity to establish their own business;
- Social protection and social security;
- Participation in public activities.

Specific gender-related data on refugees, IDPs, and asylum seekers unavailable.