Men are more protected than women in Moldova, lawyer

The men in Moldova are protected by the police and the courts more than the women. Moreover, when the women are maltreated by their partners, it is considered that they are to blame because they don’t know how to behave, said lawyer Doina-Ioana Straisteanu, who referred to a case of domestic violence. The lawyer has told Info-Prim Neo that on May 30 the Buiucani district court issued a restraining order that can be considered absurd. By this order, the court gave a family aggressor the status of victim of domestic violence. A similar order was earlier issued for his former wife, with whom the man lives in the same house and has an underage child. Thus, the man and the woman obtained the status of victim and aggressor practically simultaneously. Doina-Ioana Straisteanu said that six restraining orders have been issued in the woman’s favor so far, but none of them was implemented. The man continues to beat her and even drove away their 13-year-old child. Jude Liuba Pruteanu, who issued both of the contradictory orders, told the woman that she was to blame for the fact that she is beaten as she does not know how to behave towards her former husband. The judge issued a retraining order in the man’s favor after he brought a medical certificate and said that his footmen wife broke his hand. According to Doina-Ioana Straisteanu, judge Liuba Pruteanu told the woman that if she does not want to be beaten in continuation, she should take her child and go to live elsewhere. When the woman phoned the police last time and complained that she was beaten, she was told that they were tired of them. Ana Revenko, the head of the Association “La Strada”, said the judge followed the social stereotypes acceding to which the woman must keep peace in the family, yield in all the case and endure everything the man does. The social worker also told the woman to leave the house to whose erection she contributed in order to get rid of the abuser who is an alcoholic. The woman’s lawyer tried to discuss with him, but she threatened her with death. Doina-Ioana Straisteanu and Ana Revenko also said that if nothing is done in the near future, they will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Liuba Pruteanu could not be found at her workplace for comment. Her secretary stated that the judge will be tomorrow, but is not empowered to say where she is today.