Alarming family violence levels

3 in 10 Romanian women face physical, verbal or psychological abuse, says a study by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

Leyla Cheamil, 25.11.2016, 13:12

Domestic violence is unacceptable
and unjustifiable and represents a serious human rights violation. Violence
against women and girls is thus considered one of the most pressing problems of
our times, with countless damaging consequences. The international community
and civil society thus believe there are no extenuating circumstances for this
form of aggression.

Every year on the 25th of
November, violence against women is brought to public attention to make people
aware of its gravity. The statistics point to a painful reality: 35% of women
and girls across the world have been confronted with some form of physical
violence from their partners or other persons, while in some countries, seven
in ten women have been exposed to some form of abuse in their lifetime.

In Romania, three in ten women are
victims of physical, verbal or psychological violence after the age of 15,
according to a study published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental
Rights based on data collected in 2014. In the first half of this year alone,
the police have received around 9,000 complaints of domestic violence. Drinking
is to blame in many of these cases. 14 counties in Romania have no support
services or shelters for women faced with domestic violence, according to NGO
representatives attending a debate held by the Red Cross. Moreover, in small
communities in particular, women don’t know what to do when confronted with
domestic violence.

The director of a foundation in the
field, Cristina Horia says women who are victims of violence can obtain a
restraining order against their attacker within 72 hours. She warns, however,
that while the order can be obtained quickly, the legislation is flawed in
dealing with attackers who violate the restraining orders against them:

It is necessary to provide harsher
penalties for attackers. There are cases when women have been killed despite
having a restraining order against their attackers. The General Inspectorate of
the Romanian Police agrees with us. We still have to overcome one small
obstacle at the justice ministry. The Criminal Code does include some
penalties, but only 2% of criminal complaints end up in court. The conclusion
is that attackers go unpunished.

Cristina Horia also raises the
problem of what happens to women after leaving the shelters. The longer they
stay in the shelters, the better their recovery, says Cristina Horia. She says
that statically speaking, 85% of women who have spent at least six months in
the shelter lead independent lives after leaving the shelter. Unfortunately,
says Cristina Horia, Romania does not provide long and very long-term services
in this respect.