Stories of victims of domestic violence in Gagauzia presented in show

Chisinau, 29 November /MOLDPRES/- The stories of several women in Gagauzia, who suffer from domestic violence, were presented in a show yesterday by the Coliseum Arts Center within a multiethnic project. The show, entitled "Я умереть надежде не дам" (I will not let hope die), is performed in Russian, with fragments in Romanian, Gagauz and Bulgarian.

The initiative is supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Republic of Korea and is part of the UN global campaign "16 days of activism against gender violence".

The first show took place on 28 November in the village of Chirsova, Gagauzia, and the second one will be staged on 2 December in Taraclia.

Project director Mihai Fusu said that art can make a significant contribution to promoting non-violent behavior. "The message we want to convey through this show is defending women's dignity, child's rights to have a healthy family, to receive education and parental care. We also send a message to men - we say that manhood does not mean violence but protection and care," Fusu said.

Within the project, support services for victims of gender-based violence will be set up in Gagauzia.

Women in five communities in the region, including Comrat, will be able to benefit from counseling psychologists, social workers and lawyers. They will be helped find a job or start a business.