Women from Gagauzia region suffering from domestic violence could benefit from counselling at a support center, first of this kind in the region, to be established soon. To complement the budget for the reconstruction of the building and equipment for the institution, the executive body from ATU Gagauzia and the United Nations Development Programme launched today a fundraising campaign.

The center will host temporary women and their children and will help to find an optimal solution for their protection. At the same time, women will benefit from counselling provided by psychologists, social assistants, lawyers and will be advised how to find a job or to start a business.

This initiative is part of the “Addressing violence against women in the Republic of Moldova: exploring and learning from local solutions” project, which is implemented during 2018-2020 by UNDP with the support of the Republic of Korea.

“In ATU Gagauzia, as in the entire territory of the Republic of Moldova, statistics on domestic violence are alarming. Until now, there was no shelter for survivors of GBV phenomenon, women being forced to stay home with their violent husbands, or to seek shelter for their parents and relatives. The new Center will provide women with protection, hosting and counselling”, noted Olesea Tanasoglo, the Deputy Chair of the Executive Committee on Social Matters in Gagauzia.

“The service is designated for women suffering from physical, psychological, or sexual violence and who need assistance to claim their rights. These interventions will reduce the serious consequences which may occur because of violence, like emotional and psychological issues, declines in self-confidence and even death. UNDP’s contribution to setting up this service will support the efforts of local authorities in preventing and combating gender-based violence in this region,” stated Olesea Cazacu, UNDP Moldova Programme Analyst.

To establish the center, the authorities from the regional will offer a building, which will be assessed technically, and then renovated with the support provided by the Republic of Korea and UNDP. The fundraising campaign will complement the budget dedicated for the refurbishing and endowing of the respective center. Donations will be collected through www.sprijina.md platform at this link.

At the same time, a multidisciplinary mechanism for intervention in cases of violence will be developed under the UNDP Project in one of the Gagauzia’s communities, Chirsova village. A multidisciplinary team started working here as of December, being composed of the district police officer, doctor, school directors from the village, who will review and intervene rapidly in all risk cases for women and children. Also, the team will get involved in preventing violence by conducting raising awareness campaigns. The entire community is currently involved in drafting an action plan for the next two years, envisaging to reduce the violence rate close to zero level. The intervention model developed in Chirsova will be replicated in other communities of the country.

Now, there is no support center for survivors of gender-based violence from Gagauzia region. According to statistical data, one in four women from Moldova is subject to a certain form of violence.