An analysis of scientific approaches and provisions of the criminal procedural legislation of Ukraine regarding the grounds for starting a pre-trial investigation in general, as well as taking into account the specifics of criminal offenses related to domestic violence, was carried out. It is argued that the effectiveness of criminal proceedings depends on the timely detection of the facts of the commission of illegal acts related to domestic violence and the initiation of a pre-trial investigation. It is emphasized that in order to eliminate conflicts in the legislative and by-law normative regulation of the activities of law enforcement agencies at the beginning of the pre-trial investigation, especially of criminal offenses related to domestic violence, the circle of subjects who can independently identify circumstances indicating the commission of a criminal offense should be expanded. It was found that the basis for starting a pre-trial investigation of criminal offenses related to domestic violence, in respect of which criminal proceedings are carried out in the form of a private indictment, is only the statement of the victim. Grounds for initiating criminal proceedings regarding criminal offenses related to domestic violence, which are not provided for by the articles (parts of articles) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, listed in Clause 1, Part 1 of Art. 477 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, there is a statement, a notification (to the call center for preventing and countering domestic violence, gender-based violence and violence against children; other entities implementing measures in the field of preventing and countering domestic violence) and independent detection by an investigator, inquirer or  prosecutor from any source of circumstances that may indicate the commission of a criminal offense related to domestic violence. The procedural order for entering information about criminal offenses related to domestic violence into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and their content, taking into account the criminal procedural regulation of the beginning of a pretrial investigation, organizational aspects of responding to statements and reports about criminal offenses and entering relevant information into the URPI, as well as features of the mechanism of committing illegal acts related to domestic violence are characterized.

Запропонована для ознайомлення наукова праця спрямована на висвітлення основних Міжнародних стандартів протидії кримінальним правопорушенням, пов’язаним із домашнім насильством та досвіду застосування  окремих кримінально процесуальних механізмів правового регулювання розслідування таких правопорушень у країнах як англо-американської, так і романо-германської правової сім’ї. Обґрунтовано актуальність вивчення та врахування в нормотворчій діяльності міжнародних стандартів протидії кримінальним правопорушенням, пов’язаним із домашнім насильством. Проаналізовано модельне законодавство ООН про домашнє насильство, перспективи впровадження його положень у національне законодавство. Узагальнено досвід законодавчого забезпечення протидії кримінальним правопорушенням, пов’язаних з домашнім насильством у США та країнах Європи з точки перспектив його імплементації в Україні. Підсумовуючи дослідження міжнародного досвіду протидії кримінальним правопорушенням, пов’язаним із домашнім насильством слід наголосити на певних практиках, які можуть бути імплементовані у діяльність правоохоронних органів в України. З метою удосконалення організації з реагування поліції на випадки домашнього насильства запропоновано запровадити облік проблемних сімей та випадків насильства у сім’ї. Визначено за можливе застосовувати профілактичну практика Великобританії, коли на запит громадян із такої бази даних надаються відомості про насильницьке минуле потенційних сімейних партнерів. Позитивною визнано практику Великої Британії та США щодо використання при розгляді справ про домашнє насильство технічних пристроїв телекомунікаційного зв’язку з метою забезпечення безпеки свідків та потерпілих при необхідності візуального контакту з такими особами. Оригінальним є досвід Польщі в частині реалізації процедури «Блакитні карти», згідно якої поліція веде матеріали відносно кожної сім’ї, в якій мало місце насильство, де накопичуються документи, що висвітлюють обставини кожного випадку. Позитивною також є практика, згідно якої працівники поліції при виїзді на сімейний конфлікт мають при собі та зобов’язані залишити постраждалій особі спеціальні формуляри з інформацією про органи, до яких може звернутися жертва домашнього насильства. У такому випадку потерпіла особа від домашнього насильства має можливість вивчити у більш спокійній обстановці всю необхідну їй інформацію та прийняти рішення про подальші кроки із захисту її прав. Визначено за можливе врахувати практику США щодо створення у структурі поліції спеціальних підрозділів, діяльність яких спрямована на протидію кримінальним правопорушенням, пов’язаним із домашнім насильством та впровадження інституту спеціалізованих судів, що уповноважені розглядати цю категорію справ.

The scientific article is devoted to certain aspects directly related to the procedural regulation of the interrogation of minors during the pre-trial investigation of criminal proceedings related to domestic violence. An analysis of international legal acts containing relevant standards in the researched field, provisions of the current criminal procedural legislation of Ukraine, as well as scientific works, whose authors worked on the outlined issue, has been carried out. This is due to the fact that sometimes in such proceedings the only source of evidence is the testimony of minor victims. In such cases, the process of obtaining and evaluating evidence is determined by age, individual psychological and many other characteristics of the interrogated. In criminal proceedings related to domestic violence, issues related to the place of interrogation of a minor and ways of recording it are quite relevant. On the basis of the conducted research, it has been substantiated that the interrogation of a minor should be carried out in a room: a) where the environment will be friendly for him or her; b) which is equipped with means for audio and video recording. Such statements are fully consistent with the “green room” method. Taking into account the above, it is proposed to make changes to the provisions provided for in Part 1 of Art. 226 of the CCP of Ukraine. In addition, attention has been drawn to the change in the philosophy of obtaining testimony from a minor regarding the circumstances of a committed criminal offense from interrogation to procedural interview. Interrogation of a minor must be carried out by an investigator according to the rules provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine. However, before the interrogation, the investigator must: select a suitable specialist psychologist; give them the opportunity to get acquainted with the materials of the criminal proceedings, taking into account the meeting with the minor; based on the circumstances to be proven, agree with the specialist on the content and form of the questions necessary for clarification. Taking into account the above, it has been concluded that it is considered necessary in the provisions of the current legislation to provide for this a specially authorized person - a juvenile investigator.

An attempt was made to trace the change in approaches to the understanding of the concepts of “domestic violence” and “offenses related to domestic violence” and, based on the meaningful correlation of these categories, to reveal the trends in the development of scientific opinion on countering these offenses, primarily of a criminal law nature. Emphasis is placed on highlighting the achievements of Ukrainian scientists in works devoted to the problems of pre-trial investigation of criminal offenses related to domestic violence. Based on the results of the analysis, the author's periodization of the development of scientific thought in the specified field has been proposed. As a result of the conducted research, some regularities of the development of the criminal procedural opinion based on the research of the problems of pre-trial investigation of criminal offenses related to domestic violence have been outlined. The first conclusion indicates the gradual development of such studies, which is connected with the change of the material and legal basis, that is, the criminal legislation, which at different times provided a different qualifying model of criminal offenses related to domestic violence. Thus, at the first stage (until 2017), domestic scientists mostly directed their attention to the study of criminal law and criminological problems of combating criminal offenses included in the concept of “crimes related to domestic violence”. There are only separate works of a criminal procedural or forensic nature, aimed at solving the problems of investigating a set of types of criminal offenses included in the concept of “crimes related to domestic violence”. The next stage (since 2017) is related to the criminalization of domestic violence (Article 126-1 “Domestic Violence” was added to the Special Part of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). It is natural that the specified event aroused interest among scientists and, in particular, shifted the emphasis of scientific research to the problems of investigating domestic violence within the scope of one crime. Currently, the beginning of the transition to the third stage of the development of scientific research on the problems of investigating criminal offenses related to domestic violence is observed. The latter is characterized by a shift in the emphasis of scientists to researching the problems of investigating other types of criminal offenses related to domestic violence, other than those provided for in Art. 126-1 “Domestic violence” of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, for example, a study of the problems of investigating murders committed with the use of domestic violence.