16 days of action against gender-based violence

A series of activities such as roundtable meetings, public debates, conferences, training seminars and programs will take place in Moldova within the 16-Day Campaign Against Gender-Based Violence, Info-Prim Neo reports. In the launch of the campaign, Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Valentina Buliga said that by such events, the Ministry, in partnership with other institutions and organizations, will inform the public about domestic violence and try to engage the central and local authorities, NGOs and the communities in activities aimed at preventing and combating this type of violence. “Domestic violence affects the entire society. Its effects hinder the sustainable development of the country. Only by concerted effort at central and community levels, with the support of civil society, will we be able to build a safer environment for children, women and men in Moldova,” said the minister. UNFPA Deputy Representative in Moldova Boris Gilca said that domestic violence represents a violation of the fundamental human rights. Such violence is typical of families with low social and economic status, but most of the victims are from rural areas and socially underprivileged families. “The use of violence is a serious problem in Moldova. All the existent mechanisms should be used to prevent and combat differed forms of violence. We must further improve the mechanisms of implementing the law on the prevention of domestic violence, applying simultaneously the good international practices in the field,” said Boris Gilca. Marin Maxian, the head of the Ministry of the Interior’s Public Order Division, said that 396 offenses related to family relations have been committed over the first ten months of the year, including 18 murders and 9 cases of causing of serious bodily injuries. “The courts issued 222 restraining orders to protect the victims of domestic violence. The task of the police is to step up the activities aimed at preventing the cases of use of violence,” he stated. The global 16-Day Campaign Against Gender-Based Violence, which runs from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10, International Human Rights Day, began in 1991. Until now, it involved 3 700 organizations from 164 countries.