In 2024, statistics show that the Republic of Moldova is still an unsafe place for women and girls. More than 70% of them reported that they were victims of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence.

In order to develop effective strategies for the protection of survivors of violence, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection with the support of UNFPA, is strengthening case management for cases of domestic violence and violence against women to ensure a survivor-centered approach.

In this regard, consultative workshops on the draft instructions for case management were organised mid-May with an emphasis on using a victim-centred approach, focusing on clear procedures and guiding principles of community social workers involved in responding to violence against women and domestic violence.

The workshops brought together social workers from territorial social welfare agencies and civil society experts in the country to discuss the draft instructions on case management to ensure that they are practical and user-friendly. The workshop also facilitated the exchange of experiences, challenges and lessons-learned among service providers.

According to expert Angelina Zaporojan: "Case management is an essential method in cases of violence, which ensures a coordinated and effective response to protect survivors, provide them with the necessary support and help them rebuild their lives in safety and dignity."

GBV case management is a structured way of helping a survivor, where she is informed about all available options and the problems she faces are identified and followed up in a coordinated way, with emotional support provided throughout during the process.

"It is essential that case management follows a survivor-centred approach, which means creating a supportive environment where the person's rights are respected and treated with dignity. That's why collecting feedback from social workers on Case Management will help us harmonize approaches in the process of providing services to survivors of violence", said Jana Nagnitschenko, Coordinator of GBV Programs, UNFPA.

"For us, the social workers, this workshop strengthens the efforts to provide efficient and coordinated support to the survivors of violence, to contribute to their protection and recovery", said Olesea Heiu, ATAS specialist, North-East zone.

UNFPA  with national partners is contributing to the improvement of the system of protection and response to violence and to preventing such cases, including through information, combating gender stereotypes, training specialists, harmonizing the legal framework and developing support services.