On the International Day of Family, Promo-LEX, in partnership with the General Police Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs launched a national campaign “The Order Can Protect You Against Domestic Violence”, which will run until 25 June 2014 throughout Moldova.

The campaign is aimed at raising awareness about domestic violence and promote information about protection mechanisms.

According to Alexander Postica, program director of Promo-LEX: “The main objective of the campaign is to contribute to the legal protection of victims of domestic violence by increasing the knowledge of victims, but also the general public, about domestic violence, about how to obtain and enforce a protection order, and what are the steps to be taken to combat the phenomenon.”

General Police Inspectorate has declared “Zero Tolerance” to domestic violence by reaction, efficiency, quality and professionalism. Traditions and customs are not values that allow discrimination against women in a couple, and women and men are guaranteed an equal exercise the rights and freedoms. The law penalizes any manifestation of violence (physical, psychological, sexual, economic, spiritual) against family members, regardless of their residing arrangement – cohabitation or separate living.

Failure to disclose acts of domestic violence, once known, can entail severe consequences.

During the campaign “The Order Can Protect You Against Domestic Violence”, there will be five film-watching evenings, where films on domestic violence will be screened and discussions will be held about the phenomenon, as well as preventing and combating it.

The films were produced by students of the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts, Department of Multimedia, as part of a short film competition of the campaign “16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women” conducted by Promo-LEX and GPI MIA in November-December 2013. The videos are available here.

Also, 36,000 leaflets and posters will be distributed and placed in every police inspectorate, section, sector, and post. These materials will help inform citizens about the protective measures that the law gives to victims of domestic violence, the procedure for obtaining a restriction order, the execution and supervision of protection orders, and measures applicable for violations of such orders.

The campaign is conducted under the project “Streamlining the Process of Enforcement of Protection Orders for Victims of Domestic Violence in Moldova”, implemented by Promo-LEX with the support of the Soros Foundation-Moldova.

For details, contact:

Carolina Bondarciuc, Press Officer: GSM 069637849, Tel/Fax (+373 22) 450-024, e-mail [email protected]
Lilia Potîng, Promo-LEX lawyer, Tel: (22) 450-024, e-mail: [email protected]