Domestic violence cases spike; MIA gains power to remove perpetrators for 48 hours

The Ministry of Internal Affairs presented an analysis showing that at least three reported crimes of domestic violence — with at least three victims — happen in North Macedonia each day, the ministry said at a briefing attended by Minister Pance Toshkovski.

According to the review, between 2021 and 2025 there were 5,699 registered perpetrators of domestic violence, of whom 91% were men. For the same period, 132 women were registered as perpetrators. On average 90–100 children were identified as victims during that period.

The report also records seven femicides so far this year. In the first ten months of 2026 there were a record 1,897 reported cases of domestic violence, compared with 1,125 in the first months of 2025 — an increase of 70 percent.

New police powers and faster procedures

Toshkovski said the Ministry can now act ex officio in cases of bodily injury linked to domestic violence, not only after a victim files a complaint, which increases the efficiency of police work. "However, the key is that victims of domestic violence are reporting more. They do not endure, they report immediately," he said.

So far this year the ministry filed 1,450 criminal charges for domestic violence, 50 percent more than last year. One hundred fifty-three charges were submitted under expedited procedure, and 163 detention measures were issued — a 270 percent rise compared with 2025. Authorities also logged victims in 214 reported misdemeanours (quarrelling, shouting, harassment, beatings in public places), most often wives and mothers.

Toshkovski explained that when an offender is caught committing domestic violence, a police officer can order the immediate removal of the perpetrator from the home for 48 hours, even if that person is the property's owner. The police must notify the court within six hours, and the court then decides whether the accused may return to the residence.

Photo: SDK.MK)