Combating violence against children in the Republic of Moldova

What is the project?

The project objective is to contribute towards improving the state response to violence against children in the Republic of Moldova.

It 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 a direct follow-up to the project Protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the Republic of Moldova (2018-2020) and builds on the experience and findings revealed during this Phase I.

The project is implemented by the Children’s Rights Division in cooperation with the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau.

What is the legal context?

The Republic of Moldova ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (Lanzarote Convention) in 2011. The Committee of the Parties to the Convention, also known as the Lanzarote Committee, is charged with monitoring the implementation of the Convention. The Republic of Moldova participated in the 1st monitoring round dedicated to the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the circle of trust (2014-2017) and in the 2nd one on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse facilitated by information and communication technologies (2017).

Other important standards taken into consideration during the project implementation include the Council of Europe Guidelines on child-friendly justice (2010) and the Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)7 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on Guidelines to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environment.

The project itself promotes the implementation of these international standards and builds on the progress and work already carried out at national level. Relevant national standards and policies include the Law no. 338 of 15.12.1994 on the rights of the child, Decision No. 434 of 10.06.2014 on the approval of the Child Protection Strategy for the years 2014-2020, Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2017-2020, as well as the conclusions and recommendations of the Roundtable “Implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse: Challenges and Best Practices”.

What do we aim to achieve?

Raising awareness and prevention

Improving legal and policy framework

Strengthening the interagency cooperation

Supporting training and capacity building

News

Back Online presentation of the judicial practice research on child sexual abuse and exploitation cases

On 12 October 2020, the Council of Europe project Combating violence against children in the Republic of Moldova organised an online presentation of the Research of the judicial practice related to child sexual abuse and exploitation cases in the Republic of Moldova.

The aim of the online event was to present and discuss the key findings and recommendations of the Research of the criminal cases related to child sexual abuse and exploitation, which were finalised in the period of 2017 - 2019.

The objective of the Research was to contribute towards providing key stakeholders with an analysis of the current criminal investigation and judicial practice challenges, as well as the effectiveness of the present legal norms in ensuring respect for children’s rights under the Lanzarote Convention. The Research also aimed to examine the consistency of relevant case law and judicial practice; and to allow for reflection on any problems observed in practice and any potential capacity or training gaps of legal.

The online event provided an opportunity to relevant stakeholders and partners to voice their feedback, address questions and further explore next steps to be undertaken to improve the criminal investigation and trial of child sexual abuse and exploitation cases. Following the online event, all relevant feedback will be taken into consideration for further improvement and finalisation of the research.

The Research contributes towards achieving the Project’s intermediate outcome 2 “Legal and policy framework harmonised in line with Council of Europe standards on child sexual exploitation and abuse and rights of the child in the digital environment / best interests of the child”.

chisinau 12 october

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Who we work with?

Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, Ministry of Justice, Public Prosecution Service, National Institute of Justice, Police Academy, Supreme Court of Justice, Lawyers Union, Ombudsperson for Children’s Rights, State Chancellery, NGOs, acclaimed experts in the field.

Who benefits from the project?

The project targets judges, prosecutors, lawyers, law enforcement professionals, social workers, doctors, teachers, educators, parents. It ultimately benefits children at risk of violence and child victims and witnesses of violence.