During the meeting, two priority topics were discussed: preventing violence against women through economic empowerment and specialized services for victims of sexual violence.
The location of the event was not random; the Ungheni district has prioritized promoting gender equality and preventing and combating violence over the past three years. At the same time, it has supported the project’s partner localities in becoming champions of gender equality by implementing various initiatives and enhancing protection and access to services for women victims of violence, including the establishment of a specialized service for victims of sexual violence.
"We appreciate the efforts of the local public administration for their involvement, openness, and support of the EVA project. We emphasize that the first center for victims of sexual violence will be created in the Ungheni district, which will be a safe place where they can benefit, under one roof, from all necessary trauma-centered services. We hope and wish that this beautiful project will later serve as a model for other districts. It is important for all stakeholders in the field to join efforts to raise awareness and highlight the detrimental consequences of violence and to engage in actions to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls," stated State Secretary Felicia Bechtoldt.
It is noteworthy that, in order to economically empower women survivors of domestic violence and integrate them into the labor market, the Women's Law Center, in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, is implementing a program for the economic empowerment of women survivors of gender-based violence, focusing on the development of five small-scale programs in the districts of Soroca, Bălți, Hîncești, Telenești, and Ștefan-Vodă. The project, supported by UN Women Moldova and financially backed by Sweden, aims to strengthen the capacities of public institution representatives to provide a complete cycle of support for ensuring the economic empowerment of survivors of violence and their integration into the labor market, as well as to enhance coordination and cooperation mechanisms among public authorities and other actors in the employment field.
Source: Social Ministry of Moldova
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