Moldova has ratified the Istanbul Convention, 4 years after initial signing of the document. The Convention is universally recognized as a vital tool for combating gender-based violence, coming with a comprehensive framework for systemic actions targeting violence against women and girls.

Moldova will now start the process of enforcing a set of legal and policy measures for preventing GBV and building victim-oriented support systems, as well as applying the blueprint for punishing perpetrators to the country’s legal system.

As reported by the Council of Europe: The monitoring rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Inese Lībiņa-Egnere (Latvia, EPP/CD) and Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), stated the following:

“We congratulate the Republic of Moldova for the progress achieved on the ratification of the Istanbul convention: the Moldovan parliament took today an historical and decisive step to better protect women, combat domestic violence and build a society that values the respect for fundamental human rights in all spheres of life.

This is a first and important step, and we now encourage the authorities to raise public awareness about the convention and recall its very aim, which is first and foremost to prevent and combat violence against women.  The Republic of Moldova will join 34 member states of the Council of Europe which, by ratifying this landmark convention, have undertaken together to secure more rights and better chances for their societies to live free from fear.”

Back in May, we reported on the implementation of Istanbul Convention in Central and Eastern European countries. On that occasion, our member organisation (Family Planning Association of Moldova) wrote:

There are no legal grounds for delaying the ratification of the Convention. Experts in the field say that the Republic of Moldova is ready to ratify the Convention. However, some comments by politicians and some manipulative speeches disseminated by conservative and ultra-religious groups could prevent ratification of the Convention. (…)

In March 2020 the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic paid a visit to Moldova. In her report about the visit she wrote that “the Republic of Moldova should ratify the Istanbul Convention, improve its response to hate speech and advance access to quality healthcare, affordable housing and social inclusion for all.”