State is obliged to intervene in domestic violence cases: expert

The principle of the family's supremacy over human rights and gender equality is a customs in Moldova. Intervening in the cases of domestic violence is a duty of the state. The authorities must undertake actions to protect the victim and not to wait for the victim to come for the state's assistance, says Tatiana Catan, an independent human rights expert. “The Law on preventing and fighting domestic violence, passed in September 2008, is reluctantly met by functionaries, despite the international community's recommendation to see the things otherwise and make the necessary steps,” said Tatiana Catan ata round table on the issue, organized on February 19 by UNFPA in Moldova. “This law introduces a series of new tools for Moldova, and the national law should be modified to match this law,” said Victor Lutenco, an analyst with UNFPA Moldova. Viorica Dumbraveanu, a social protection deputy minister, said that, in 2008, “there a big practice of this ministry, with the financial support from international organizations.” “We used not to tackle domestic violence so well two years ago. We'll do our best to ensure the sustainability in approaching this law,” she said. According to recent researches on domestic violence in Moldova, one woman aged 16-35 in four suffers from family violence. The violence against women also affects the children, as they are as a rule taking care of children.