Dr. Ramunė Jakštienė was granted a postdoctoral scholarship for the research project “Possibilities of improving the response to the persecution of an intimate partner by means of criminal law”
On December 21, 2023 by order of the chairman of the Lithuanian Science Council no. V-691 dr. Ramunė Jakštienė was granted the competitive funding for a postdoctoral fellowship.
Project title – “Possibilities of improving the response to the persecution of an intimate partner by means of criminal law”. The duration of the fellowship is 2 years.
This is the second time R. Jakštienė is granted a postdoctoral fellowship at VMU Faculty of Law. Both times the supervisor of the postdoctoral research is Prof. dr. E. Gruodytė.
During the fellowship, Ramunė will continue the research in the field of domestic violence. Stalking is one of the most misunderstood and understudied forms of intimate partner violence, even though it is quite common and has a significant negative impact on victims. The criminalization of stalking is a clear trend in the EU. However, in Lithuania, the criminal justice response to this pattern of violence is not adequate enough. Several relevant legislative changes have recently been adopted, but their impact on prosecution is still unclear.
Therefore, the purpose of this research project is to determine specific solutions of Lithuanian legal acts and their implementation, how to strengthen the response of criminal law to the persecution of an intimate partner. These results would have implications for both practice and research. They can be a source of legal regulation and practice modifications to ensure appropriate prosecutions. They can also offer more effective protection for victims of violence, ensure the proper implementation of the state’s international obligations, and stimulate a wider academic debate on intimate partner persecution. It is planned to carry out a qualitative study in order to determine the problematic aspects arising from the application of criminal liability for the persecution of intimate partners in Lithuania, to identify specific instruments of criminal law that can improve the response to these crimes, and to make proposals on the appropriate way of their implementation. Part of the project will be carried out during an internship visit to a foreign scientific institution.