The national conference "Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Republic of Moldova - retrospective and future perspectives"

On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, the national conference "Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Republic of Moldova - retrospective and future perspectives" took place. Organized by the Office of the Council of Europe in Chisinau and the National Agency for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women and Violence in the Family, the event aimed at assessing the progress and challenges encountered in the application of the Convention, as well as discussing some strategies for strengthening the response to violence against women in our country.

Present at the event, the head of the Training and Research Directorate of the National Institute of Justice, Ecaterina Popa, had an intervention in the "Prevention - let's contribute to building a society without violence against women" panel. You primarily referred to the modification of training programs and the creation of modern didactic tools for a deep understanding of the principles and norms provided for by the Istanbul Convention. Thus, two e-courses provided on the HELP platform of the Council of Europe ("Women's access to justice" and "Violence against women and domestic violence") were adapted to the domestic legal order and launched, the curriculum dedicated to preventing and combating gender-based violence was institutionalized, and the initial and ongoing training plans integrated thematic modules. In partnership with the Women's Law Center, three video materials were produced and used during the training sessions. At the same time, three generations of mentors - INJ trainers - have benefited from the Council of Europe Mentoring Program for legal professionals. Also, several activities were organized to inform and sensitize the young generation, including the "Equality Generation" republican art contest, public lessons, as well as involvement in the "16 days of activism against gender violence" campaign.

The national conference was held within the framework of the Council of Europe project "Support in the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Republic of Moldova" and marked the end of its first phase.