Survey shows Moldovan women unaware of their rights

Chisinau, 10 December /MOLDPRES/ - Only one in four women subjected to domestic violence knows her rights and that she can appeal to justice. The conclusion is found in a recent survey conducted by the La Strada NGO International Centre for Protection and Promotion of Women's Rights and presented on the occasion of marking the Human Rights Day today.

The study was conducted on 25 November - 10 December and was focused on interviewing 40 women from Moldova, victims of domestic violence.

La Strada Centre Vice President Viorelia Rusu said that women who had been abused had been poorly informed on their laws and rights, as well as bad access to information.

"In most cases, the victims do not appeal to law enforcement bodies, they do not trust them, they fear that the abuser will only get a fine and the will not change. At the same time, often, the victims are physically and financially dependent on the abuser, "said Viorelia Rusu.

The study also contains recommendations to help victims of domestic violence, such as: closer cooperation between law enforcement and social services bodies, carrying out campaigns showing that violence is a crime, revising the legal framework for victims to fully benefit from their rights, etc.

According to statistics, 63 per cent of women in Moldova have suffered from at least one form of violence from their husband or partner. As many as 1,700 cases of family violence offences were registered in the first nine months of 2014.