When victims of violence against women or domestic violence turn to the justice system, they need a response that is timely, effective, coordinated, and sensitive to their specific needs. To support this, six specialised regional training seminars were organised in Chișinău, Bălți and Cahul for justice professionals participating in the specialisation process.

The seminars brought together 82 judges, prosecutors and criminal investigation officers (45 women and 37 men) strengthening their practical knowledge and preparedness to investigate and adjudicate cases of domestic violence, violence against women and femicide.

Stanislav Ungureanu, Judge at the Bălți Court, highlighted the importance of the training, particularly its multi-professional format: “I consider seminars on this topic to be welcome, as well as highly necessary and useful for judges, particularly younger judges, as they highlight both national and international jurisprudence in the field of domestic violence. An added value was the fact that the training was not only for judges, but also for all actors in the legal field, as it provided an opportunity for an exchange of experience across different areas.”

Constantin Ursu, Criminal Investigation Officer at the Police Inspectorate of Briceni, also emphasised the value of bringing together different justice sector professionals: “The training sessions are attended by criminal investigation officers, prosecutors and judges, and provide us with the opportunity to exchange views on issues that arise during criminal proceedings, from the pre-trial investigation stage right through to the trial.”

For Alina Picălău, Prosecutor at the Ungheni Prosecutor’s Office, the practical focus of the training was particularly relevant to the challenges of proving psychological violence: “The most difficult thing is to prove that offences relating to domestic violence involving psychological abuse have been committed, as it is a more complicated process, involving the perpetrator’s emotions and behaviour towards the victim, and how the victim perceives the psychological abuse... I believe the training was very effective. I gained a lot of information that will enable me to put it into practice, and at the same time it was an opportunity to exchange experiences, where we learned about different professionals’ perceptions of domestic violence, as well as the jurisprudence we were introduced to.” Following discussions on the latest legislative amendments concerning domestic violence and violence against women, Ms Picălău highlighted the need for continued professional development to ensure that justice professionals can keep pace with developments in this evolving field and apply new knowledge effectively in practice.

The trainings were carried out under Module I of the National Specialisation Programme for justice sector professionals addressing violence against women and domestic violence, co-ordinated by the National Agency for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women and Family Violence, in partnership with the Women’s Law Centre and the National Institute of Justice, with the support of the Council of Europe Project “Supporting the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Republic of Moldova – Phase II”, implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2025–2028.