With the participation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the wife of the President Olena Zelenska, a meeting with representatives of public and international organizations was dedicated to the implementation of state policy to combat and prevent domestic violence on September 21 in Kyiv. The event was also attended by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak and other state officials.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that combating violence is part of the domestic and foreign policy of the state, for which human rights are among the topmost values.

The President signed the Decree "On Urgent Measures to Prevent and Combat Domestic Violence, Gender-Based Violence, and Protect the Rights of Victims of Such Violence."

The President's wife Olena Zelenska stressed the importance of signing the Decree. "This is a decisive and very important step in the fight against domestic violence in Ukraine," she said. According to her, Ukraine should develop an effective system for responding to cases of domestic violence, including an increase in the number of shelters for victims of such crimes.

For his part, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that zero tolerance for domestic violence is a social principle that the state seeks to form in Ukrainian society. He added that the problem of domestic violence is quite common in Ukraine.

"Every appeal is a human life, so it's not just statistics, but sometimes the life of the whole family. This is a challenge for the whole society. Therefore, our goal is to strengthen the response to this challenge. And the response must be absolutely specific and it should start at the level of central and local government and end in each particular family," said Denys Shmyhal.

The Head of Government noted that as of August 1, 28 shelters have been set up in Ukraine where victims can find protection. There are 11 day care centers for people in need of protection. Almost 400 social and psychological assistance brigades have been working to support the victims. And work along these areas will prolong, the Prime Minister stressed.

Apart from that, Denys Shmyhal named four priorities of the Government for the coming years. "Prevention of violence. Providing victims with services and protection. Bringing the offender to justice. It is rather critical to ensure that each case receives due attention from responsible professionals and triggers the development of mechanisms of state-public partnership in joint work to prevent and combat violence," the Prime Minister concluded.