Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10CHISINAU8
2010-01-06 09:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Chisinau
Cable title:  

EUR ENGAGEMENT ON WOMEN'S ISSUES - MOLDOVA

Tags:  PGOV KWMN PHUM MD 
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FM AMEMBASSY CHISINAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8737
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
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TAGS: PGOV KWMN PHUM MD
SUBJECT: EUR ENGAGEMENT ON WOMEN'S ISSUES - MOLDOVA

REF: 09 State 124579

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CHISINAU 000008

C O R R E C T E D COPY (CAPTION, PARA MARKINGS)

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/UMB, EUR/PGI, DRL/AE, G/TIP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KWMN PHUM MD
SUBJECT: EUR ENGAGEMENT ON WOMEN'S ISSUES - MOLDOVA

REF: 09 State 124579

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1. (SBU) Post's responses to reftel requests are
given below.


2. (SBU) Details on current women's-issues programs,
with best practices and success stories:

--Strengthening Democratic Political Activism in
Moldova, a project being implemented by the
International Republican Institute (IRI):

IRI programs provide a wide range of training to
women and women's organizations in political
parties, and encourage individual women members to
play a more prominent role within these
organizations and parties. In 2009, IRI programs
contributed to an increased involvement of women
in Moldovan politics during two parliamentary
elections. Three women who had participated in
the programs gained senior positions in three
parties, one of them becoming a member of the
Cabinet.

Such activities are very dependent on the
political will of party leadership and, at the
same time, on the involvement and skills of the
women involved. The leaders of political parties
appear willing to promote women candidates for the
2011 local elections, and IRI will attempt to
encourage more women to run for mayoral positions.
More efforts to build women's self-confidence and
publicize their contribution to the success of
political parties will enhance the roles women
play in political life and encourage more women to
enter politics.

--Women's Career Development Program, implemented
by a local NGO, Pro-Business Nord:

USAID recently awarded the first direct grant to a
local NGO in the northern Moldovan city of Balti
to implement the WomenQs Career Development
Program in surrounding rural areas. This program
will assist vulnerable women in developing their
ability to make independent life choices and to
improve their economic wellbeing. The project
will identify, train, and find employment for 300
disadvantaged women from northern Moldova.
Matching the demands of business and womenQs needs
will yield an improved economic environment in
their communities. The project will establish an
income-generating social enterprise that offers
business and entrepreneurship training,
professional development, and fee-paid support

services. This approach will help to ensure the
programQs sustainability.

--Better Opportunities for Youth and Women,
implemented by UNDP:

The Better Opportunities for Youth and Women in
Moldova Project, recently extended to September
2010, assists vulnerable women, victims of
trafficking and domestic violence, and graduates
of boarding schools and orphanages to develop
their professional skills and to secure better
jobs, rather than to seek work abroad. The
program established a network of ten Social
Reintegration Centers throughout the country.
These centers, operated by local NGOs, provide
women with a wide range of assistance and
reintegration services, including accommodation,
psychological and medical services, life skills,
vocational training and employment assistance in a
safe and supportive environment. This approach of
creating and offering integrated assistance
services to vulnerable women is considered a best
practice for the region.

--Rule of Law Initiative, implemented by ABA/ROLI:

The ABAQs Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI)
contributed to the design of the Law on Preventing
and Combating Domestic Violence which came into
effect in September 2008. This was the first law
on domestic violence in Moldova.

Although this law is a big step forward, its
implementation system is weak. The law merely
states that the victim is entitled to protection,

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without specifying details such as what kind of
evidence, if any, can be presented in order for a
protection order to be issued. For instance, the
question arises whether a declaration by the
victim, and her application for assistance to a
rehabilitation centre for domestic violence
victims, could be enough to elicit a protection
order. This issue is important, because the
victim of domestic violence often does not have
the opportunity to obtain more compelling
evidence, such as expert medical/legal opinion to
prove physical violence, or the testimony of
witnesses.

Another gap in the law--the failure to adopt
corresponding amendments to procedural codes--has
also hindered the application of this mechanism
for protection orders. Until recently, judges
refused to issue protection orders for the victims
of domestic violence in the absence of procedures
specifying judges' legal duty to issue such an
order in domestic violence cases.

For two days in September, 2009, ABA/ROLI, with
the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and a
local partner, the Causeni Law Center, trained
judges, prosecutors and attorneys to apply
international law, together with general
provisions of the Moldovan Criminal Procedure
Code, to provide the legal basis for a court to
issue such a protection order under the
international human rights conventions and
treaties to which Moldova is a signatory. The
trainees were also informed about the institutions
and organizations that provide assistance to
victims of domestic violence in Moldova so that
they could refer victims to these organizations
when needed.

One of the current gaps in legislation is that
free legal aid is not offered to victims of
domestic violence unless they are declared
mentally incompetent or have actually suffered
serious bodily injury. Several organizations,
including ABA/ROLI partner Causeni Law Center and
the Public Association Refugiul Casa Marioarei
(Casa M),were offering this assistance, funded
through a sub-grant program which ended in
November 2009.

--Success stories include two protection orders
issued in domestic violence cases in Moldova, one
in September 2009 and the other in November 2009,
both won on behalf of clients by ABA/ROLI partner
Causeni Law Center and both issued by judges who
had earlier attended this ABA/ROLI training.
There is a direct link between these trainings and
successful implementation of the protection order
provisions of the law combating domestic violence.
It is to be regretted that the NIJ will not be
able to continue the program because of lack of
funding.

--Finally, ABA ROLI, with local partners Causeni
Law Center and Casa M, ran public information
campaigns on combating domestic violence and human
trafficking. ABA/ROLI partners held seminars and
roundtables throughout Moldova for representatives
of local public administrations, social welfare
workers, psychologists, doctors and teachers to
promote consistency in their approach in assisting
victims of domestic violence, and to identify
practical solutions to resolving domestic violence
cases. They also talked to teachers and students
in schools about not tolerating domestic violence
and describing what their options are.

The projects revealed that domestic violence is
still tolerated in Moldova, nourished by
stereotypes and the victimsQ feelings of shame,
according to CEDAW (Convention for the Elimination
of Discrimination against Women) assessment tools,
and reports on gender violence. Even if the
victims of domestic violence file criminal charges
against their perpetrators, usually she drops the
charges later, or the perpetrator receives a fine,
which is paid from the familyQs budget. (Note:
According to Ministry of Interior statistics, 65
percent of victims withdraw charges, mainly
because the police play the role of mediators,
attempting to reconcile couples rather than

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enforcing the law. End note.) The projects
addressed these issues, but further campaigns are
necessary and warranted.

--One of the achievements is the Law on Gender
Equality, which entered into legal force on
February 9, 2006. The law is the achievement of
Moldovan civil society and the efforts of the
donor community; the USG supported implementation.
This is the first law on gender equality in
Moldova and is considered a very good one.
However, the Administrative Code of Contraventions
and the Criminal Code do not provide any sanctions
for violating the provisions of this law.
Informational and Training campaigns regarding
applicability of this Law--for the general public,
members of Parliament, judiciary, police and
public bodiesQare greatly needed.


3. (SBU) Areas where additional U.S. action and/or
cooperation on women's issues could be useful:

--Supporting, and organizing with local partners,
informational campaigns to acquaint the general
public with the concepts of domestic violence and
gender equality, in order to inform them about the
rights they have and procedures to exercise them:
TV, radio, leaflets, guide books for women,
informational seminars for women, etc. There is a
need to reach the most vulnerable, and the rural
population, where exposure to information about
rights and obligations is often unavailable.
--Improving the justice system by educating
judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys on
domestic violence and gender equality issues,
which will lead to better implementation of
domestic violence law provisions for the most
vulnerable.
--Creating an effective national network of
specialized lawyers on gender equality issues and
domestic violence to provide free legal aid, since
victims of domestic violence are usually too poor
to hire a lawyer, and are usually not entitled to
state-funded legal aid.
--Supporting women's empowerment and encouraging
greater women's participation in the private
sector labor market.
--Continuing to support creation of vocational and
capacity-building programs for women at risk for
trafficking, particularly young rural women with
low levels of education.

MICHELI