State News Agency has got a Declaration of Common Platform of Dialogue of Women MPs of Moldovan parliament on the occasion of a campaign of the United Nations “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2016”, Moldpres informs.

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The declaration reads:

“Given the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, stipulating that achievement of equality between women and men represents one of key-elements in preventing violence against women,

Recognizing that violence against women is an expression of inequality and discrimination,

Noting with concern that women and girls are often subject to serious forms of violence, such as: domestic violence, sexual harassment, violation, forced marriage, representing serious human rights violations,

Recognizing that women and girls are subject to a greater risk of gender-based violence than men,

Taking into account that the domestic violence affects women disproportionately, as well as men may be victims of domestic violence,

Considering that children are victims of domestic violence, including as witnesses of domestic violence,

Aspiring to a country free of violence against women and without domestic violence,

We, women of the Common Platform of Dialogue of Women MPs, express our firm commitment to join efforts with all actors involved in combating violence in Moldova.

As MPs, along with men lawmakers of the Moldovan parliament, we will promote the clearly defined standards in preventing and combating violence, taking into account jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.

We will enhance applying the parliamentary control tools in order to monitor the implementation of legislation in preventing domestic violence and ensuring a high security level of violence victims.

Priority goal of our actions in preventing and eliminating violence will be intensifying advocacy for signing and ratifying by Moldova of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

The exclusion of violence will not be possible only with efforts of the state institutions. Progress in fight against violence can be recorded only by active participation, conscious work and dedication of police officers, local public authorities, teachers, employees of health care and social assistance sectors, including by involving the civil society in this process.

We are addressing women and girls from Moldova – mothers, wives, sisters, grandmothers and daughters suffering in secret because of the violence: we urge you not endure violence and immediately report it to the competent authorities! The law is on your side. We reiterate that violence is a serious violation of human rights and is a crime punishable.

We, the Common Platform, support you in this fight.

Each woman from Moldova has the right to live free of violence!”