On 25 February 2021 the Council of Europe project Combating violence against children in the Republic of Moldova organized the second Steering Committee meeting to bring together the main actors to present the project activities, the results achieved in eleven months of the implementation and the way forward.
The first part of the meeting introduced the progress on activities already implemented and presents the project activities and priorities for 2021. During the second part, the partners and stakeholders had the floor to consult on their feedback, needs and priorities in relation to the implementation of the project activities, including aspects to be considered in relation to COVID-19 restrictions.
Mr William Massolin, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, in his welcome speech mentioned “All activities implemented in this period aim to achieve the key objectives of the project, in particular implementation of the Lanzarote Convention. (…) The Council of Europe continues to provide assistance and support in strengthening the child protection system to combat violence and sexual abuse against children. However, it is up to the national authorities to make this system work properly. I would like to congratulate the authorities for initiating the work on the National Child Protection Program and I am confident that through this strategic document, the child protection system will be improved and many existing problems will be eliminated.”
"The Council of Europe remains a reliable partner for us. All the activities implemented come to streamline the child protection system and I am confident that our joint efforts will bring positive results in order to provide children a protected life”, mentioned Anastasia Gruzin, Head of the Policy Department for the Protection of the Rights of the Child and Families with Children, Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection.
The project Combating violence against children in the Republic of Moldova supports strengthening the country’s child protection framework and judicial system with focus on the protection of children against sexual violence, promotion of child-friendly justice practices and the rights of the child in the digital environment. It is closely anchored in the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021) and implemented in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova (2017-2020) during the period of 1 April 2020 - 31 December 2021.