Domestic Violence in Moldova - The Advocates for Human Rights

two children from a previous marriage and did not want additional children. The womanwas told repeatedly by her in-laws that she had been brought to the home to look after thechildren rather than to work. Fearing she would have nowhere to go, the woman resistedseeking a divorce. This woman was ultimately killed by her husband. 661. Evidence from the Legal CommunityMinnesota Advocates interviewed judges, police, prosecutors, private lawyers andcourt medical experts to determine the government’s response to the problem. Althoughthey could not cite official data, these legal professionals described many cases in whichwomen were seriously injured or killed. There is no specific statute prohibiting domesticviolence, and the data on other crimes, such as assault and murder, are not categorized ina manner that allows for information on domestic violence to be determined. Even ifstatistics were readily available, they would not accurately reflect the rates of violencebecause many women do not report domestic assaults to police or prosecutors, nor dothey pursue any legal remedies to protect their human rights. 67 In the NGO surveymentioned previously, of the women who stated they had been abused, fewer than 10%had reported it to the police or prosecutor. 68 One judge estimated that only 5% of alldomestic violence cases are ever reported to the police. 69 Many of those interviewed inthe criminal justice system stated that the cases reflect only a small portion of the realnumber of assaults.Even in extreme situations, women seldom view the legal system as a source ofassistance. Often cases that do enter the system are withdrawn during the process. Ayoung woman in Yerevan described seven years of abuse by her husband and sometimesalso by the woman with whom her husband was having an affair:I married a man I did not truly love. He appeared to be a decent and normalperson. . . . Soon after we were married, I noticed that my husband’s behaviorchanged -he was often abusive, both physically and verbally. He would beat meat random times and I never knew why. . . . I also suspected that he was havingan affair. . . . [and] recall seeing [my husband and his girlfriend] together on afew occasions. . . . Once, my husband came home and told me to comedownstairs to the street. The other woman was there. We began discussing ourrelationship and began to quarrel. We were having the discussion in his car. . . .66 Interview, May 9, 2000 (NGO activist, Gyumri).67 Interviews, February 16, 2000 (Ministry of Internal Affairs official, Yerevan), (sociologist,Yerevan); February 17, 2000 (Ministry of Internal Affairs official, Yerevan) (NGO, Yerevan); February 22,2000 (police official, Yerevan), May 3, 2000 (lawyer, Yerevan). People interviewed within the Ministry ofInternal Affairs as well as private attorneys and NGO representatives all agreed that women will call policeonly after repeated abuse, or when the violence is especially severe. Generally, however, they will not callthe police about domestic abuse.68 See infra Appendix.69 Interview, May 10, 2000 (judge, Gyumri).Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, Domestic Violence in Armenia, December 2000 14