International experience in investigating domestic violence committed by military personnel: A comparative legal analysis

In the context of ongoing military hostilities, the problem of domestic violence in Ukraine is becoming particularly acute, as it is transforming in its content, forms and the range of actors involved, while one of the most vulnerable categories of victims remains elderly persons. The aim of this article was to conduct a comparative legal analysis of international experience in preventing and investigating domestic violence committed by military personnel upon their return from combat missions, as well as to identify opportunities for adapting effective foreign approaches to the national criminal justice system. The study employs general scientific and specialised legal methods, in particular the comparative legal, systemic-structural, logical-legal, formal-dogmatic and generalisation methods. The study examined contemporary approaches to responding to domestic violence in the context of armed conflicts and the post-war reintegration of military personnel. The practices of the USA, Canada, the UK, Israel and Australia (the Family Advocacy Programme in the USA, the CF Family Violence Prevention Programme in Canada) were analysed, in particular the functioning of specialised support programmes for military families and mechanisms for inter-agency cooperation. A trend towards the use of integrated models for countering violence, combining criminal law, psychological, social and rehabilitation tools, has been identified. It was established that the effectiveness of such models depends to a large extent on the early identification of risks of aggressive behaviour, mandatory psychological support and specialised training for authorised personnel. A review of international experience has led to the conclusion that a comprehensive approach to the protection of older people, as a particularly vulnerable group of victims, is appropriate. The practical significance of the results lies in their potential use by legislative bodies, law enforcement agencies, military units and specialists in the social and psychological fields when improving mechanisms to combat domestic violence in Ukraine