Domestic Violence in Moldova - The Advocates for Human Rights
Domestic Violence in Moldova - The Advocates for Human Rights
Domestic Violence in Moldova - The Advocates for Human Rights
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two children from a previous marriage and did not want additional children. <strong>The</strong> womanwas told repeatedly by her <strong>in</strong>-laws that she had been brought to the home to look after thechildren rather than to work. Fear<strong>in</strong>g she would have nowhere to go, the woman resistedseek<strong>in</strong>g a divorce. This woman was ultimately killed by her husband. 661. Evidence from the Legal CommunityM<strong>in</strong>nesota <strong>Advocates</strong> <strong>in</strong>terviewed judges, police, prosecutors, private lawyers andcourt medical experts to determ<strong>in</strong>e the government’s response to the problem. Althoughthey could not cite official data, these legal professionals described many cases <strong>in</strong> whichwomen were seriously <strong>in</strong>jured or killed. <strong>The</strong>re is no specific statute prohibit<strong>in</strong>g domesticviolence, and the data on other crimes, such as assault and murder, are not categorized <strong>in</strong>a manner that allows <strong>for</strong> <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation on domestic violence to be determ<strong>in</strong>ed. 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 <strong>in</strong>terviewed <strong>in</strong>the crim<strong>in</strong>al justice system stated that the cases reflect only a small portion of the realnumber of assaults.Even <strong>in</strong> extreme situations, women seldom view the legal system as a source ofassistance. Often cases that do enter the system are withdrawn dur<strong>in</strong>g the process. Ayoung woman <strong>in</strong> Yerevan described seven years of abuse by her husband and sometimesalso by the woman with whom her husband was hav<strong>in</strong>g 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 hav<strong>in</strong>gan affair. . . . [and] recall see<strong>in</strong>g [my husband and his girlfriend] together on afew occasions. . . . Once, my husband came home and told me to comedownstairs to the street. <strong>The</strong> other woman was there. We began discuss<strong>in</strong>g ourrelationship and began to quarrel. We were hav<strong>in</strong>g the discussion <strong>in</strong> his car. . . .66 Interview, May 9, 2000 (NGO activist, Gyumri).67 Interviews, February 16, 2000 (M<strong>in</strong>istry of Internal Affairs official, Yerevan), (sociologist,Yerevan); February 17, 2000 (M<strong>in</strong>istry of Internal Affairs official, Yerevan) (NGO, Yerevan); February 22,2000 (police official, Yerevan), May 3, 2000 (lawyer, Yerevan). People <strong>in</strong>terviewed with<strong>in</strong> the M<strong>in</strong>istry 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 <strong>in</strong>fra Appendix.69 Interview, May 10, 2000 (judge, Gyumri).M<strong>in</strong>nesota <strong>Advocates</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Rights</strong>, <strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong> <strong>in</strong> Armenia, December 2000 14