An exhibition that combats the stereotypes of blaming women and girls for being raped because of how they dress has been inaugurated at the Parliament Museum. The exhibition entitled: "Don't blame the clothes" takes place in the context of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence and is organized by the International Center "La Strada", IPN reports.
Daniela Misail-Nichitin has argued that it was appropriate to inaugurate the exhibition on the premises of the legislative body for it is an opportunity to identify, together with the decision makers and development partners, the ways of adjusting the national legal provisions in order to restore the victims of sexual crimes to their rights, according to the international standards in the field.
Attending the event, Doina Gherman, the chairman of Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights and Interethnic Relations, has conveyed a message condemning sexual violence, urging the community to notify the authorities if they become witnesses to such aggression. The Ministry of Justice has a draft law that will improve the legal framework regarding sexual violence sanctions. Doina Gherman recommended women victims to speak up, not to put the blame on themselves, because "nothing I do can be a reason for sexual violence."
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Mihai Popșoi, thinks that the reason for violence would be the deeply patriarchal culture of the Republic of Moldova, where women are perceived as an extension of the man or his property. This issue must be tackled, says Mihai Popșoi, and the presence of women in the political life and decision-making is a step forward to combat these perceptions.
The representative of the UN Fund for Population in Moldova, Rita Colombia, has stated that the rate of violence in Moldova is higher than in EU countries. Statistical data confirm that, most of the time, the aggressors are people close to the victims. Rita Colombia has stressed that actions aimed at changing the behavior are required, actions that would lead to the prevention of violence. UNFPA will become a partner of the institutions that will do this.
Anne Coleman-Honn, Head of the Department for Political and Economic issues at the US Embassy in Chisinau, has pointed out that joint efforts are needed to combat the phenomenon, and exhibitions like this are important to fight stereotypes and reduce the fear of victims of sexual violence.
In the first semester of 2019, 16 cases of sexual violence were reported on the "La Strada" Center telephone. In 39% of the cases the victims called themselves, in the other cases – it was family and relatives.