Moldovan Government Takes Stand Against Domestic Violence
On March 11, 2008, just three days after Moldova celebrated the International Women’s Day holiday with flowers, parties, and festivals, the President signed historic legislation to protect women in Moldova from domestic violence. This legislation is a progressive step for the country where over 40 percent of women have been victims of a violent act at least once in their lifetime and an essential step for the government to put an end to the cycle of violence that negatively impacts the safety, health, and well-being of Moldovan women and their families.
The new Law on Domestic Violence lays out an ambitious framework by defining, for the first time, what constitutes domestic violence. This framework makes it much clearer that violence against women is a criminal offense and defines appropriate criminal punishments for perpetrators.
During the development of the law, two of USAID Moldova’s partners—the Winrock Moldova Anti-Trafficking Initiative (MATI) and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative in Moldova (ABA/ROLI)—provided key commentary and input to strengthen and improve the law. In anticipation of the law's enactment, ABA/ROLI assisted a domestic violence shelter, Casa Marioarei, to develop a legal representation program for domestic violence victims to assist with prosecution efforts. The program provides free legal assistance and “know your rights” trainings for victims and potential victims in the capital and other regions.
ABA/ROLI and U.S. Department of Justice-funded Criminal Law Legal Specialists also helped develop a training curriculum based on the new law for prosecutors and judges. Training seminars trained 35 judges and prosecutors in three cities throughout Moldova and were conducted with the cooperation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the National Institute of Justice. ABA/ROLI expects to conduct more training sessions in 2008.
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| International Women’s Day heralded Moldova’s new Law on Domestic Violence, historic legislation that will strengthen prosecution of abusers |
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