‘If he beats you, that means he loves you,’ this is a phrase often heard in Moldova. According to the statistics, 60 % of the Moldovan women are beaten up by husbands. To combat the phenomenon, the authorities have launched a public awareness campaign, jointly with NGOs.

When Maia Ţăran was proposed to marry she thought she was the luckiest in the entire world. But her marriage proved to be unhappy, and her husband was violent. He used to come drunk at night and chased her away with their four children. Her patience ended up when her husband hit her head with an axe.

"I stayed alive. He left me in bleeding. I woke up feeling cold. I often feel bad because of the hits. The children are also affected very much," she said.

After enduring that for 15 years, now Maia advises women in the same situation.

"I cannot forgive myself for starting to talk too late about it. The law is by the women’s side, but they must seek for the truth," Maia Ţăran says. 

The Labor and Family Ministry and the UN Women Moldova started a public awareness campaign in Boşcana village, Criuleni district. 

"The figures rise year by year, because the population talks and reports the cases," says Lilia Pascal, an official with the Labor and Family Ministry. 

The legislators have also joined the 16-day campaign against gender-based violence. They came with orange sheets of paper reading "United against Violence," at today’s sitting.

This evening, the Parliament building will be illuminated by orange lamps.

Also read: Moldovan Parliament turns orange marking World Day against violence against women