The first integrated regional service for victims of sexual violence will be piloted during two years at the Ungheni District Hospital, where victims of sexual violence from six districts - Ungheni, Fălești, Sângerei, Călărași, Nisporeni, and Telenești - will be offered assistances, IPN reports.

Under the regulatory framework, the new social service will ensure complex and prompt response centered on the needs of the victim of sexual violence for the purpose of preventing the re-victimization or re-traumatization of this in the process of offering assistance. The service will enable the adult victims of sexual violence to benefit from medical, legal, psychological and social assistance in one place and will facilitate the process of obtaining evidence during investigations.

Based on the results of the piloting, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and the Ministry of Health will decide the institutionalization mechanism for implementing this type of service at national level.

During the piloting period, the costs needed for running the integrated service will be covered by UN Women Moldova.

According to statistics provided by the law enforcement agencies, 539 sexual offenses, 241 of which were rapes, were reported in the six districts in 2017-2022.