Amnesty International runs campaign to support women

Amnesty International Moldova (AIM) will implement, during March 2-8, the period before the International Women’s Day a series of activities within the campaign “Stop the violence against women”. The purpose of the campaign is to inform the capital’s residents about the importance of this problem, as well as about the legal measures to prevent violence. The activities will include informational-educative presentations in universities, as well as a public street activity, taking place Saturday, March 3rd on the Classics Alley in the Public Garden “Stefan cel Mare”. According to a survey with the thematic focus on “Women in risk groups in Republic of Moldova”, performed by IMAS, commissioned by Winrock International / New Perspectives for Women in 2005, 2 in 5 women in Moldova of age 16-35 have undergone at least once in their lives domestic violence (41% of the respondents). One in every four women in Moldova of the same age is addressed regularly verbal offences or curses (27% of the respondents), and one in every ten women puts up with the interdiction to leave the house or meet with friends (10% of the respondents). Also, one in every six female citizen of Moldova was beaten at least once during her life (16% of the respondents); and one in every fifteen women of 16-35 years of age was raped at least once (6.7%). The survey also shows that the problem of violence against women in Moldova is ignored at all social levels. 44 % of women who suffered from domestic violence in 2005 did not request the aid of the legal bodies, being convinced this is useless. AIM claims that it is exactly the domestic violence that together with poverty is one of the principal reasons that forces women from Moldova to leave abroad in search of a job, which leads to a new and even more dramatic “status” for the women – that of victim of human traffic. Amnesty International performs the campaign “Stop the violence against women!” all over the world since March 2004. The main objectives of the campaign are to raise public awareness about the problem of violence against women and ways to prevent it.