09/02/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 8 February, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) spoke out against the legislation enacted the previous day by Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the decriminalisation of domestic violence, which reduces the judicial arsenal for victims and the sentences incurred by their aggressors. In a press release, the EEAS spokesperson said this was " a clear step backwards in the country's commitment to tackling violence against women and children". "This law fails to recognise the very serious and specific nature of violence against women. Legislation that tolerates violence against women and children within the family risks severe consequences both for the victims and for society as a whole", the spokesperson said. Over 49,000 cases of domestic violence were recorded in 2015 and 7,500 women reportedly died from their partners' violence. (CG)