The Russian government has rejected a proposal to introduce fines for discrimination against women, deeming the measure excessive. The decision, reported by Kommersant on September 15th, is based on a draft negative review of the initiative.

The bill, proposed by deputies Vyacheslav Davankov and Roza Chemeris, aimed to impose administrative liability for “public calls aimed at restricting the rights and freedoms of women,” with fines ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 rubles. The deputies argued that the law would protect women’s rights to education, work, and participation in public life, while preventing their reduction to a “service link” for men. The proposers believe the fines would serve as a deterrent against discriminatory statements made by some politicians and religious figures.

However, the government argues that current legislation already addresses discrimination and actions that humiliate human dignity based on gender. Specifically, Article 5.62 of the Code of Administrative Offenses establishes fines for discrimination ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 rubles for individuals and 50,000 to 100,000 rubles for legal entities. Additionally, Article 20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses addresses inciting hatred and humiliating dignity based on gender.

The government concluded that the bill failed to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the existing legal framework in addressing discrimination against women.