A center providing accommodation and rehabilitation for survivors of gender-based violence was opened in Ungheni. The Centre for Assistance and Protection of Women Survivors of Domestic Violence will provide accommodation and assistance for girls and women from Ungheni district and from neighboring districts. The building hosting the shelter was renovated and equipped thanks to a project funded by the Government of Japan through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), IPN reports.
“Japan has been promoting the idea of ‘human security’ in its development and humanitarian assistance. With this concept, we put emphasis on the need to protect the most vulnerable people as well as empower them, so that they can provide for themselves, so that human dignity can be preserved. I hope with all my heart that the access to the regional gender-based violence support will make women and girls feel physically and emotionally secure, by providing a supportive and encouraging environment. Also, I hope that together we can succeed in greatly reducing gender-based violence by empowering vulnerable women and advocating for change,” said Yoichiro Yamada, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Moldova.
Daniela Gasparikova, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova, said the establishment of the Regional Centre for Assistance and Protection of Women Survivors of Domestic Violence in Ungheni will offer much needed support to over 150 women survivors of gender-based violence and other forms of abuse. “Its multidimensional support, particularly with the implementation of legal, social, and mental health services, as well as a mobile team, is an innovation that fully reflects the comprehensive approach to human security we strive for at UNDP,” stated the UNDP Resident Representative.
The allocated budget of around US$60,000 allowed the transformation of a community center building into a shelter. The center has a capacity of six rooms (18 beds) and provides accommodation for up to half a year and up to a year in exceptional cases. Accommodation is only one element of the multidimensional services provided, together with legal support, social assistance, psychological and vocational counseling, financial, digital and independent life skills education. About 150 people will benefit from the services of the regional center annually, of which 35 will also be accommodated.
Gender-based violence continues to be widespread in Moldova. Even though the country has strong policies and a legal framework to prevent and address gender-based violence, the high rate of intimate partner violence (73%) shows the discrepancy between policies and the lived experiences of girls and women. More than a third of women over 15 have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from their partner.
