Between May and July 2024, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in partnership with the European Network for working with perpetrators of domestic violence, under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, organized a training program for professionals from the penitentiary and probation system, who work with perpetrators of domestic violence.

Participants learned new techniques and mechanisms for safe and effective interventions in working with abusers, helping to reduce recidivism and protect victims.

"The purpose of batterer programs is to protect and help survivors by interrupting the violent behavior of those who commit acts of violence, especially men. Establishing and implementing programs focused on the safety of survivors is an important task that requires the involvement of many actors. This training was an opportunity to analyze our own practices and work on improving them," said Violeta Terguță, GBV Program Analyst at UNFPA.

The training provided key skills for offender programs and victim support services in accordance with the provisions of the Istanbul Convention and international standards in the field.

"This training is an important step in professionalizing our employees and effectively addressing domestic violence. Through such training, we ensure that our professionals have the necessary knowledge and skills to work safely and effectively with perpetrators of violence, thus contributing to the creation a safer and more responsible society", said Viorel Sochircă, director of the National Probation Inspectorate.

The training program accumulated 128 hours of training, supported by international and national experts. Here, prison and probation professionals have gained skills in delivering offender programmes, evidence-based risk assessment, counselling, and working with offenders, targeting suvivors safety and support services.

This training was organized by UNFPA in partnership with the European Network for working with perpetrators of domestic violence, under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, the National Penitentiary Administration and the National Probation Inspectorate, being financially supported by the Governments of Great Britain and the USA. The activity contributes to the realization of the provisions of the National Program on the prevention of violence against women and family violence for the years 2023-2027.

According to statistics, in 2023 in the Republic of Moldova, the number of aggressors on probation, convicted for family violence was 2144 people, and 4% of them were directed to the programs for perpetrators within the probation services or NGOs.