OSCE launches results of Survey on the Well-being and Safety of Women for Moldova

Together with the OSCE Gender Section, the OSCE Mission to Moldova presented the results for Moldova of the OSCE-led Survey on the Well-being and Safety of Women, at a launch event on 4 July 2019. The event was organized in co-ordination with the Moldovan Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection.

The Survey was conducted by the OSCE in 2018 with the goal of providing comparable data on different forms of violence women experience in the course of their lives. It is the first time that such a representative survey was conducted in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe and that women in the region were asked systematically about their experiences of violence in non-conflict and conflict settings.

In Moldova, a representative sample of 1,802 women aged 18 to 74 from rural and urban areas were interviewed about their experiences of violence and the consequences these have had for their lives.

The results for Moldova show that three in four women (76 per cent) think that violence against women (VAW) is common in Moldova. According to the report, VAW remains underreported to police and other organizations because of a lack of trust in institutions among women and a lack of specialized services for survivors of violence. The survey revealed that the underreporting and lack of trust, as well as the prevalence of VAW, are caused by social norms and attitudes that reinforce gender inequality. According to the survey, one third (33 per cent) of women personally know someone subjected to domestic violence among their family and friends, and the same percentage within their local neighbourhood. Two in five women (40 per cent) say that they have experienced physical or sexual violence since the age of 15 by a partner or non-partner.

“As part of its mandate, the OSCE Mission to Moldova facilitates the effective observance of international obligations and commitments, including in the field of gender and security, which should be in place for a comprehensive and sustainable settlement process,” said the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Claus Neukirch. “The OSCE Mission together with other OSCE institutions will continue to support the efforts of the Moldovan institutions to implement legislation and improve action plans based on the evidence provided in the Survey in order to address all forms of violence experienced by women and girls.”

The OSCE recognizes violence against women and girls as both a threat to individuals and broader security concern. Since 2004, the OSCE participating States have adopted three Ministerial Council decisions on preventing and combating violence against women, including most recently in December 2018 in Milan. The latest decision recognizes that inequality is a root cause of violence against women and calls for measures to address it, including through awareness-raising and capacity-building initiatives.

“The research conducted by the OSCE is essential for raising awareness with policy- and lawmakers, but also the general public, law enforcement agencies and many other stakeholders,” said Serani Siegel, OSCE Project Manager. “Attitudes, norms, and beliefs that justify violence against women need to be tackled at their root, as they continue to perpetuate this grave human rights violation. This survey provides the information needed to take action.”

The survey was conducted in seven OSCE participating States: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova and Ukraine. The research was also conducted in Kosovo. Overall, more than 15,000 women were asked about different forms of violence they have experienced over the course of their lives.