General Prosecutor’s Office announces legislative initiatives to strengthen preventing and combating domestic violence, developed following analysis of recent cases, including that of Ludmila Vartic

The General Prosecutor’s Office will put forward a set of legislative initiatives aimed at strengthening mechanisms for preventing and combating domestic violence, developed following an internal analysis of practice in recent years, including the case of Ludmila Vartic. The announcement was made at a press conference by Deputy Prosecutor General Sergiu Russu.

The institution’s assessment of cases handled in 2025 revealed a persistent problem: the failure to notify the authorities by people who were aware of situations of violence.

“From the analysis carried out, it emerged that, in numerous cases, either people from the victims’ close circle or members of the community knew about the acts of violence but did not notify the competent authorities,” Russu said.

According to him, this phenomenon is known in the specialist literature as the “bystander effect.”

“It refers to situations in which witnesses do not intervene and do not report because of the diffusion of responsibility or social conformity. This phenomenon is known as the bystander effect,” the official explained.

In this context, the General Prosecutor’s Office has drafted a bill aimed at strengthening the obligation to notify law enforcement bodies and introducing accountability mechanisms for failing to report serious cases of violence.

“The proposal is based on an analysis of national practice and on models from other states, including Romania, and provides for the introduction of administrative or, where appropriate, criminal liability for failing to report such situations,” Sergiu Russu said.

The new legislative amendments also concern extending the reporting obligation for key professionals, such as medical staff, teaching staff and social workers, in cases where there are reasonable suspicions of domestic violence or risk of suicide.

“It is essential that these professional categories notify the authorities when there are clear indications of danger,” underlined the Deputy Prosecutor General.

The draft also includes measures for institutional strengthening, including the specialization of prosecutors in territorial prosecutor’s offices for examining domestic violence cases.

“Specialized prosecutors have been designated in order to ensure more efficient investigations focused on victim protection,” Russu noted.

According to him, the initiatives are in line with international standards, including the Istanbul Convention and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.

“These measures derive from the state’s obligation to ensure the effective investigation of domestic violence cases and the protection of victims,” the official added.

The General Prosecutor’s Office is also working on developing a single methodology for investigating offences in this area, inspired by good practices from other states, including Romania.