What is the profile of domestic violence victims, who are those who generate it, who could be ready to offer a helping hand,to what extent the company is prepared to offer them assistance and what kind of assistance the victims most need - here is a series of moments that have established dialogue’s path between specialists for prevention and combating domestic violence and journalists in the press conference on the topic "Domestic violence: a private matter or a social scourge?". Supported by the International Center "La Strada", the conference had the purposeto present a report on the subject also, occasioned with the fulfillment of a year of activity of Hotline for Women 0 8008 8008. Click here
Established on 2 November 2009, this service offers primary psychological counseling to persons suffering from domestic violence, tips and advice how to recognize early signs of violence and how to build your non-violent relationship, information and references to specialized services, as well as information about the Law on prevention and combating domestic violence.
Analysis of the 1099 calls received by the Hotline during the year highlight a few categories of subscribers: victims (796 calls), community members (187 calls), professional groups (21 calls) and even aggressors (2 calls). Most victims are women subjected to various abuses of the spouses or former spouses, cohabitants, and from several family members, specifies Daniela Misail- Nichitin, vice-president of International Center "La Strada". About 45 percent of calls are from victims who come from socially vulnerable groups - lack of money, support from relatives (alcoholic parents, abusers) and the authorities, the lack of a home may make them accept the role of victim. Some admit that they shed bitterness on children in response to husband’s violence. In other 40 percent of the victims’ calls indicate a satisfactory physical condition, with sources coming from wages, money earned from working abroad, family support, which ensures a decent living, but only in the aggregation of revenue of both spouses. What’s holding them together is common fortune (house, car, ground share, etc.), shame of “word of mouth”, and existence of children to be maintained. Another 15 percent of calls are from beneficiaries of Hotline with a very good financial status (only women, 80 percent of the finest age of 30-45 years), which shows that in these families there is violence between spouses also, only that the forms of manifestation and perception of the phenomenon are different. Here violence bears the mask of a good name, of a satisfactorily service, the circle of relationships, also reiterated Daniela Misail-Nichitin.
The report presented at the press conference shows that there is a correlation between the age of subscribers and their problems. Thus, the number of calls from the minors (until 17 years including) is relatively small (12 persons) and refer cases of abuse of the mother, brothers/sisters or when they themselves become victims of violence of alcoholic parents. Minor girls who have appealed to Hotline get informed about the first signs of manifestation of violence at the partner and which are the risks to occur again. And subscribers aged between 18-26 year-old call to help a relative, especially the mother (women, and men), but also in order to settle their own family concerns (mostly women). Those married are fully aware of the problem, but are not prepared yet to carry out changes in family life or are too influenced by the environment and make every effort to fulfill the wishes of the husband and avoid violence. But for a good part of Hotline’s beneficiaries aged between 27-35 years domestic violence has become a lifestyle. In fact, there are people trying to break the circle of violence by involving various resources and represent the social segment the most in order to change the situation. Along with psychological counseling, they require legal assistance in particular.
Most calls were recorded from subscribers between 36-40 year-old, being female-victims of domestic violence, men seeking help for relatives and professional groups. For the 41-50 years age segment are characteristic two types of subscribers: which require intervention in cases of violence for relatives, neighbors and friends (a quarter), the rest being focused on their relationship. Children being grown-up already, left the home for studies, only now the attention is focused on the husband-wife relationship, noting that they weren’t right when they decided to keep their relationship for the sake of children. Finally, the age of 51 and over 60 years includes beneficiaries concerned about the fate of their children with problems in family relationships. On the other hand, those who suffer from violence at this age recognize that they will not change anything in their lives, will not call for help because of the social status, will not affect the lives of children with a position in society and just want to be heard by someone who does not judge them.
The call analysis from the perspective of required assistance shows most women victims of domestic violence in need of psychological assistance (51 %). In a large number of calls (22%) is requested primary legal assistance for divorce proceedings, division of property, right on children, information on the order of protection. Thus, in 161 cases beneficiaries have experienced difficulties when they addressed to the law enforcement: in 93 cases were unhappy that police’s intervention was reduced to a reprimand or a fine imposed to the aggressor (which they were forced to pay), in 38 cases dropped to address to law enforcement because they do not trust the system, and the other 45 - that they were afraid not tomake the situation worse.
Unfortunately, there are very frequent cases where at the court are submitted requests for issuance of ordinance and the victims face two situations: either the court refuses to issue the order, regardless of evidence showing the risk to victim’s life and health, whether he accepts the application and issues the ordinance, which neither police nor the aggressor fail to accomplish, revealed DoinaIoanaStrasteanu, lawyer of “PromoLex”, one of the providers of legal services to the Hotline’s beneficiaries. Victims often are forced to confront a hostile attitude of the court (judge), which often disregards the credibility of the reported and minimizesthe risk to which women and children are predisposed, or protection order, once issued, the abuser will not run it voluntarily, and the police prefer to limit themselves only to notify the abuser about the issued decree.
The conclusions of the analysis show that Moldova has a strong gender violence, there is even a culture of gender violence, which distorts the perception of future generations about family – the abusive model is transmitted from family to family, from generation to generation. Many of the subjects of violence, being educated in families where violence was a real phenomenon, are not aware that there is another way of behavior or other ways to solve the conflict. The report encourages the professional groups’ capacity and the responsible services’ work efficiency for preventing and combating domestic violence, educating young generations in the spirit of non-violent lifestyle. Services for the domestic violence’s subjects must become more proactive, flexible and, if necessary, mobile, and the establishment of specialized services for attackers is already a current imperative.