A number of 34 women and three children died last year as a result of domestic violence. In 2015, there were recorded over 2,000 cases of domestic violence. The data were presented by the National Coalition “Life without Violence in the Family” in a news conference at IPN. The Coalition’s coordinator Veronica Vition said the most serious cases have long-term consequences that cannot be estimated financially and psychologically.
Veronica Vition noted that pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage is caused not only to the woman and the child affected by domestic violence, but also to the whole society, including the medical, judicial and education systems and to business entities.
Elena Burca, director of the Association against Violence “Casa Marioarei”, said the official statistics are far from the reality as many women still hide the problem of domestic violence and do not trust that someone can help them. If the women seek help from social assistants or the police and are refused, they lose confidence and no longer appeal for aid.
Ludmila Popovici, executive director of the Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims “Memoria”, said the statistics of the Ministry of the Interior show that over 100 women who are former victims of domestic violence are held in jails. The women often protect themselves from aggressive men and the conflicts in the family can result in death. “Besides the suffering experienced by these women, they also have to serve not fully deserved punishment,” she stated.
According to Ludmila Popovici, it is very serious when small children stay in prisons together with their mothers. There are now 20 children in detention together with their mothers.
In the news conference, the National Coalition “Life without Violence in the Family” and the Platform for Gender Equality launched the international campaign “WAVE Step Up!” in Chisinau. The campaign promotes the rights of women and their children to live free from violence and to have access to quality specialized support services.
