OSCE in Moldova trains judges and prosecutors on combating domestic violence

CHISINAU, 12 November 2014 – A group of Moldovan judges and prosecutors completed today an OSCE train-the-trainer course to enhance the capacity of the Moldovan judiciary system to prevent and combat domestic violence.

“Safety at home contributes to a secure society. This is why the OSCE focuses on combating domestic violence just as much as it does on any other security threat,” said Ambassador Michael Scanlan, Head of OSCE Mission to Moldova. He also praised the participants for their commitment to tackle violence and abuse against women.

During the three day training, organized in partnership with the Women’s Law Centre and the National Institute of Justice, the 25 officials were trained by four specialists from the American NGO Advocates for Human Rights.

The training focused on applying civil and criminal provisions in cases of domestic violence, reconciliation and mediation, rehabilitation for aggressors and legislative reform in the field of domestic violence, along with other topics. The goal is for the participants to share the knowledge they gained in the training with their peers throughout Moldova through a series of ensuing national trainings.

The seminar is part of a project to combat domestic violence in Moldova.  It builds on previous training programmes crafted to raise the capacity of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and police officers to provide legal assistance to victims and effectively handle cases of domestic violence and human trafficking in civil and criminal law proceedings.