Women, Muslims join forces to fight domestic violence in Romania

The Constanta-based League of Women organized a policy dialogue in collaboration with the Turkish-Tartar Muslim Democratic Union of Romania with support from Ipas.

Violence against women is a growing social issue that requires holistic, interdisciplinary, and, most often, inter-ethnic interventions. Earlier this month the Women's League, a Romanian non-governmental organization based in Constanta, Romania, joined with the women's chapter of the Turkish-Tartar Muslim Minority Union of Romania to mark the "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence" Campaign.

Experts in women's health, education, social assistance and human and minority rights gathered in Constanta to discuss the need for advocacy around the impact of family violence (including building public awareness and commitment to action) and to work for more efficient and relevant policies.

The group made a number of recommendations for actions and policies to stop family violence. They include: future public events to provide forums to discuss the role of the family in educating children in a nonviolent environment; reducing violence in Romanian media; enhancing sentencing guidelines; encouraging community involvement in anti-violence programs, particularly in Muslim ethnic groups; and fostering a new role for the church in both prevention of violent behavior and support to survivors of domestic violence. The group also emphasized the importance of the newly-established community police in violence prevention programs as well as the responsibility of primary health-care providers' to provide counseling and comprehensive care to survivors of sexual violence.

These recommendations will be disseminated to the Family Physicians’ Association and to other key stakeholders working in the field of domestic violence. They will be used as tools in advocating for policy change and initiating prevention strategies and services to survivors of gender-based and sexual violence in Romania. This policy dialogue was followed by a candlelight vigil on the last day of the Campaign, December 10, in both Constanta and Braila.

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258