VZCZCXRO4725
RR RUEHIK
DE RUEHCH #0008/01 0060915
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060915Z JAN 10 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY CHISINAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8737
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

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 
 
CHISINAU 00000008  001.4 OF 003 
 
 
¶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, 
 
CHISINAU 00000008  002.4 OF 003 
 
 
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 
 
CHISINAU 00000008  003.4 OF 003 
 
 
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