Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:00

Round table “Mobilizing church networks to prevent domestic violence in Moldova”

The round table was organized on 14th December 2011 and gathered regional representatives of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, members of the Union of the Evangelical Baptist Church and Lutheran Church.

The aims of the round table were:

  • To discuss the emerging issues and the current situation of the Domestic Violence in Republic of Moldova.
  • To share best practices within the small community-based projects implemented by MCA partner organisations and churches.
  • To strength the role of the church and faith-based organisations in the field of prevention of the Domestic Violence and make recommendations regarding changes to legislation, policy and service provision.

The round table process provided an opportunity for participants to discuss issues and propose specific actions to their historical and current experiences in preventing and combating domestic violence in their own communities.

During the power point presentation about the emerging issues and current situation of the domestic violence in the country, made by Veaceslav Luca, two important messages about the domestic violence were highlighted:

  • First, it’s important to recognize the scope of family violence in our society and the diversity of people affected. While many people might think primarily of women and children as the victims of family violence, in fact, family violence affects everyone regardless of gender, culture, abilities and disabilities, income and age. It affects not only the victims and their families but everyone connected with the family and the community as a whole.
  • Second, we need to take a comprehensive approach focusing on three essential areas: prevention; intervention and protection; outreach and follow-up.

The next session was to analyze the results achieved within the small community-based projects interventions, particular activities and approaches in the prevention work on community level, as well to analyze the role of the church and faith-based organisations in the whole process. All participants that presented their projects reflected and demonstrated their strong commitment to make the prevention of family violence a top priority in their daily work now and in the future.

The contribution made by each church and organisation granted by MCA in 2011 it’s only a small part of the work that should be done for preventing and combating family violence. That hard work must involve actions and plans in each and every community across the country. It must involve the continuing energy and support from the state institutions and of various organizations and agencies, and individuals themselves. The last session within the round table was to explain to participants the MCA narrative and financial reporting requirements. All issues and doubts were explained by the project coordinator and the MCA financial manager.

A deadline was set up for presentation of the financial documents and the narrative report. The overall conclusion of the round table is that there are no simple solutions that can be implemented overnight. Instead, we need to commit to a longer term process, take action step by step, and work together to prevent family violence in Republic of Moldova.

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