The organizations that are members of the National Coalition “Life without Violence in the Family” launched the initiative to collect signatures for ratifying the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Through the agency of the petition, these request the male and female MPs of the Republic of Moldova to ratify the Convention by the end of the spring parliamentary session of 2020, IPN reports.
In a press release, Promo-LEX Association, which is a member of the National Coalition “Life without Violence in the Family”, says that by this petition the subscribers ask the authorities that ratify the Convention to take a number of measures, to teach since school the girls and boys how to build harmonious relations and to communicate without violence; to protect the girls and women who are victims of violence and to punish abusers; to train judges, prosecutors, police officers, doctors and nurses; to support organizations that help women and children who are victims of violence; to allocate money for services and awareness-raising campaigns and to collect data about the spread and gravity of violence.
Contacted by IPN for a comment, Natalia Reznyak, communication officer of the “National Coalition “Life without Violence in the Family”, said that this document will protect the victims of domestic violence. “In December 2019, we had a protest that involved many people dressed “in red”, who demanded to ratify the Istanbul Convention. We see reservations as to the ratification of the Convention on the part of the male and female MPs, but this Convention is needed, especially during the current pandemic when the abused women regrettably cannot be protected as they remain face to face with their abuser. If this Convention had been adopted earlier, it would have forced the state to create a mechanism by which to protect these women even in conditions of crisis,” stated Natalia Reznyak.
In the quarantine and self-isolation period, the situation of women who live in violence worsened. Mothers, sisters, nieces, daughters or just female friends and neighbors remain enclosed in four walls together with their abusers, being in situations of big risk. During a month of quarantine, the women’s helpline 0 8008 8008 was used by 35% more female victims of violence. Approximately 30 women die annually in the Republic of Moldova as a result of violence used against them by their partners.
The petition can be downloaded online and is accompanied by a series of messages of solidarity.
