Moldova
26.09.02
Urgent Interventions
Press Release: OMCT submits alternative report on violence against girls in Moldova to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
PRESS RELEASE
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) expresses its concern regarding violence against girls in Moldova at the Thirty-first Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child
Geneva, 26 September 2002
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) welcomes the examination by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child of Moldova’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 27 September 2002. In its alternative country report entitled "Violence against Girls in Moldova", which has been submitted to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, OMCT expresses its grave concern at the widespread violence against girls in the private and community spheres as well as at the hands of state officials.
While Moldova has engaged itself at the national, regional and international levels to promote and protect all human rights, there are many areas in which it has not acted with due diligence to ensure that these rights are respected and protected. In its report, OMCT notes that women and girls suffer from entrenched gender discrimination which makes them particularly vulnerable to violence in the domestic, community and state spheres.
Domestic violence is reportedly prevalent in Moldova and this situation is reinforced by the fact that the government has yet to adopt specific legislation or policies for the prevention and punishment of this form of violence and for the provision of protection and assistance to its victims. In addition to the lacunae in the legislative and policy framework, many law enforcement personnel, members of the judiciary and other officials appear to share the prevailing attitude that domestic violence is a “private matter” which does not necessitate state intervention.
Trafficking in women and girls and violence related to this trafficking is a serious and increasing problem in the country. Both age and sex are determinative in relation to vulnerability to trafficking and as women and girls are particularly affected by discriminatory social stereotypes, the feminization of poverty and violence, they are being trafficked in larger numbers than other groups. The lack of resources devoted by the government to counter-trafficking initiatives coupled with widespread corruption and official complicity in the activities of organized criminal groups have made it virtually impossible for the government to fulfill its obligations under international law in relation to the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of trafficking.
There is very little information available concerning the situation of girls in conflict with the law or on girls in institutional settings. OMCT is, however, alarmed by the fact that there is no separate system of juvenile justice in Moldova and that in the absence of funding for diversionary programmes, many adolescents end up serving sentences in adult detention facilities where they are particularly vulnerable to violence and ill treatment. In addition, the increasing numbers of children who have been made homeless as a result of adult emigration or family breakdown linked to the economic crisis in Moldova has lead to a dramatic growth in the number of children being placed in state-run institutions. The failure of the government to adopt policies favouring family-based care for these children has meant that most children in government institutions are living in conditions that do not meet minimum international standards.
Overall, OMCT’s report concludes that the government of Moldova has not met its international obligations in relation to the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the national level. OMCT would therefore recommend that the government take urgent measures to ensure that it meets these obligations, in particular through the adoption of comprehensive legislation for the prevention and punishment of domestic violence and trafficking and through the development of policies for the prevention and eradication of violence against women and girls at all levels.
For copies of the alternative report on violence against girls in Moldova or for further information on OMCT’s programme on Violence against Women please contact the women's desk on + 41 22 809 4939 or jb@omct.org.
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) expresses its concern regarding violence against girls in Moldova at the Thirty-first Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child
Geneva, 26 September 2002
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) welcomes the examination by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child of Moldova’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 27 September 2002. In its alternative country report entitled "Violence against Girls in Moldova", which has been submitted to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, OMCT expresses its grave concern at the widespread violence against girls in the private and community spheres as well as at the hands of state officials.
While Moldova has engaged itself at the national, regional and international levels to promote and protect all human rights, there are many areas in which it has not acted with due diligence to ensure that these rights are respected and protected. In its report, OMCT notes that women and girls suffer from entrenched gender discrimination which makes them particularly vulnerable to violence in the domestic, community and state spheres.
Domestic violence is reportedly prevalent in Moldova and this situation is reinforced by the fact that the government has yet to adopt specific legislation or policies for the prevention and punishment of this form of violence and for the provision of protection and assistance to its victims. In addition to the lacunae in the legislative and policy framework, many law enforcement personnel, members of the judiciary and other officials appear to share the prevailing attitude that domestic violence is a “private matter” which does not necessitate state intervention.
Trafficking in women and girls and violence related to this trafficking is a serious and increasing problem in the country. Both age and sex are determinative in relation to vulnerability to trafficking and as women and girls are particularly affected by discriminatory social stereotypes, the feminization of poverty and violence, they are being trafficked in larger numbers than other groups. The lack of resources devoted by the government to counter-trafficking initiatives coupled with widespread corruption and official complicity in the activities of organized criminal groups have made it virtually impossible for the government to fulfill its obligations under international law in relation to the prevention, investigation, prosecution and punishment of trafficking.
There is very little information available concerning the situation of girls in conflict with the law or on girls in institutional settings. OMCT is, however, alarmed by the fact that there is no separate system of juvenile justice in Moldova and that in the absence of funding for diversionary programmes, many adolescents end up serving sentences in adult detention facilities where they are particularly vulnerable to violence and ill treatment. In addition, the increasing numbers of children who have been made homeless as a result of adult emigration or family breakdown linked to the economic crisis in Moldova has lead to a dramatic growth in the number of children being placed in state-run institutions. The failure of the government to adopt policies favouring family-based care for these children has meant that most children in government institutions are living in conditions that do not meet minimum international standards.
Overall, OMCT’s report concludes that the government of Moldova has not met its international obligations in relation to the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the national level. OMCT would therefore recommend that the government take urgent measures to ensure that it meets these obligations, in particular through the adoption of comprehensive legislation for the prevention and punishment of domestic violence and trafficking and through the development of policies for the prevention and eradication of violence against women and girls at all levels.
For copies of the alternative report on violence against girls in Moldova or for further information on OMCT’s programme on Violence against Women please contact the women's desk on + 41 22 809 4939 or jb@omct.org.