In Moldova, over 40% of women have been victims of a violent act at least once in their lives, which has a negative impact not only on them but also on their families and on Moldovan society as a whole. To raise awareness of this widespread problem, Winrock International today announced a series of activities that will take place throughout Moldova as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign. Through an integrated program of training, roundtable discussions, and media events, the 16-day Campaign will seek to change social attitudes, practices and policies that condone and perpetuate gender-based violence. “The 16-day Campaign is a tool to mobilize civil society resources in order to increase the awareness of members of the general public and of community decision makers of gender-based and other forms of violence,” David Blood, Chief of Party for Winrock International in Moldova, said. “It is crucial that the public does not look at domestic violence as a private matter to be kept hidden behind closed doors, but rather as a wider problem demanding the attention of society as a whole.” “Violence is not only destructive to the health of the family itself as well as a violation of human rights, but it also frequently increases vulnerability to outside threats, including trafficking in persons,” said Liuba Revenko, Winrock’s Crisis Intervention Coordinator. The 16-day Campaign is a global effort against gender violence that has involved approximately 2000 organizations in 154 countries to date. The campaign lasts from November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women, until December 10, International Human Rights Day; symbolically linking violence against women with violations of human rights. The theme of this year’s campaign is “Demanding Implementation, Challenging Obstacles: End Violence Against Women!” Activities in Moldova will be conducted in partnership with the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) Mission, the Independent Journalism Center, OWH TV Studio, the Center for Partnership Development, United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA), the Gender Center, Amnesty International, Peace Corps, the International Organization for Migration, La Strada, Shelter Casa Marioarei, and the American Bar Association’s Central and East European Law Initiative.