When they were younger, before their son was born, Maria’s boyfriend started hurting her. He would place his hands on her neck and squeeze tightly until her skin turned pink and she gasped for air.
After her son Andrei came along, the abuse got worse, and her arms were regularly crowded with bruises, her face sore and swollen.
Maria had no clue Russia had softened the penalty for domestic violence. Her partner, however, was all too aware when the bill sailed through government last February.
‘He heard it on the radio. He told me, “Now I can hit you by law,”‘ she says, …read more
Source:: The International Reporting Project
