Eight CSOs have received support from the EU to promote gender equality and combat violence against women and children in Cahul and Ungheni districts

Eight CSOs have received support from the European Union to promote gender equality and combat violence against women and children in Cahul and Ungheni districts. Credit: UN Women Moldova/ Aurel Obreja

The eight organizations selected by UN Women and UNICEF will implement in 12 partner localities of the EVA Project activities aimed at enabling multidisciplinary teams responsible for preventing and combating domestic violence, testing in schools of violence prevention programs, encouraging local civic involvement initiatives, promoting gender equality and respect for women's rights, but also raising awareness and educating the general public in the spirit of gender equality.

The support offered to the civil society organizations was possible due to the financial support from the European Union. Magdalena Mueller-Uri, Head of the Operations Department of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, underlined at the event: “Civil society is our partner in promoting gender equality and eliminating violence against women and girls. In this context, it was decided that part of the EVA Project budget should be directed to civil society organizations through partnership agreements signed today. Gender-based violence is a serious violation of human rights and a serious problem in the Republic of Moldova, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to combat it. Violence against women prevents them from fully participating in social life, often not being reported due to social stigmas and stereotypes”. She also reiterated the European Union's commitment to supporting the Global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign. In this context, Magdalena Mueller-Uri reiterated the message of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell, in the context of the Campaign: "Our aim is very clear - to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. We owe it to the survivors”.

Dominika Stojanoska, UN Women Moldova Country Representative, reiterated that the already established partnership with the local authorities of the two districts of Cahul and Ungheni to improve local policies from gender equality perspective will be further strengthened through the cooperation with CSOs for improved capacities, inclusiveness and accountabilities towards citizens. The ultimate goal of this project is to enable equal rights and opportunities to ultimately improve the lives women and men, girls and boys in these two districts. “In the Republic of Moldova there are still many challenges for achieving gender equality – from access to the labor market, unequal pay for work of equal value, to gender-based violence. Through the EVA project we aim at addressing these challenges jointly with LPAs and CSOs by ensuring that local policies and budgets responds to the different needs of women and men, boys and girls, and that multidisciplinary teams are increasingly engaged in prevention and protection of women and children from gender based violence.” said Dominika Stojanoska.

An essential step in ensuring gender equality in Cahul and Ungheni districts is to educate the next generation in the spirit of mutual respect between the sexes and zero tolerance for domestic and gender-based violence. Ilija Talev, UNICEF Moldova Representative a.i.  said: “Violence against women is closely linked to the phenomenon of violence against children, both of which have a strong psychological, physical and emotional impact on women and children in the long term, but also on the whole young generation and the economies of the countries in general. The interventions proposed in the EVA Project aim to produce sustainable changes to eliminate discrimination and gender-based violence in Moldova. They are addressed to schools, parents, adolescents and entire communities in the 12 partner localities in Cahul and Ungheni districts”.

In parallel with the signing ceremony of the partnership agreements, at Europe Cafe was inaugurated the exhibition “Gender equality in everyday language”, which presents a series of gender stereotypes prevalent in society and encourages positive behaviors to ensure gender equality in the Republic of Moldova. It was organized at the initiative of the EVA Project, with the support of the Platform for Gender Equality. 

The EVA Project - Strengthened gender action in Cahul and Ungheni districts, funded by the European Union and implemented by UN Women in partnership with UNICEF, aims to promote gender equality and empower women by integrating the gender component into local public policies and combating domestic violence against women and children in Cahul and Ungheni districts. The project is implemented in the period 2020-2022, and its budget is 5,250,000 euros.