PHOTO // International platform on preventing, combating violence against women held in Moldovan capital: decisive actions, joint efforts

Violence against women and domestic violence remains a social problem, as well as a justice and security problem, that require joint efforts on behalf of the authorities and every individual citizen. Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov has made statements to this effect. She today participated in the international platform dedicated to preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, held in Chisinau.

“For any democratic society, protecting human dignity and fundamental rights is the cornerstone. In the Republic of Moldova, violence against women and domestic violence stays a social problem, as well as a justice and security problem, that require joint efforts on behalf of the authorities and every individual citizen,” said Cristina Gherasimov.

According to the deputy PM, in recent years, Moldova has taken concrete steps to combat all forms of violence, by strengthening the institutional framework for gender equality, training specialists and creating concrete services for victims, where they can be heard and protected.

“We continue to work in this regard, to develop better tools for data collection and to evaluate existing public policies, in order to understand where more targeted interventions are needed. Our path to the European Union will be complete when we succeed in building a society in which one’s own home is a safe space for all those who live in it,” Cristina Gherasimov also said.

Present at the event, Deputy Parliament Speaker Doina Gherman emphasized that the increase in the number of complaints regarding domestic violence cases in recent years was a sign that trust in institutions was growing. At the same time, she pointed out that this trust came with an enormous responsibility to act more decisively.

“It is a sign that trust in institutions is growing. But this trust comes with a huge responsibility. And it must push us to act more firmly. We have regulated all forms of violence – physical, sexual, economic, digital and psychological. We have introduced the notion of femicide into legislation and in the coming weeks, we will introduce new amendments to the Criminal Code and criminalize femicide as a distinct offence. The notion of femicide will help prosecutors and police officers correctly classify the act, collect accurate data, demonstrate bias-motivated motives, and apply harsher penalties. The law will give investigators clear tools to show the gender-based motive and to prevent such tragedies,” specified Doina Gherman.

The deputy parliament speaker also said that preventing domestic violence cases began long before the first call to the police; it starts in the family, in school, in the community, and this fight does not belong to a single institution, but to each of us. According to statistics data, in 2024 the police received 15,976 reports of domestic violence. In 2025, this number increased by 7,800, reaching 23,727 reports.