Project Summary:

The Republic of Moldova has a strong policy and legal framework to prevent and address gender-based violence (GBV), yet the high prevalence rate of intimate partner violence (73%) indicates a gap between policies and the lived experiences of women and girls. In order to address the issue at local level, during 2018-2021, UNDP Moldova Country Office implemented Republic of Korea (ROK)-UNDP project “Ending Gender-based Violence and Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”. Within this project, was designed, implemented and evaluated a Local Action Plan (LAP) to address violence against women, in Chirsova, a multi-ethnic community in the Autonomous Territorial Unit (ATU) of Gagauzia. Developed through a participatory process under the leadership of a multi-disciplinary team, the LAP committed to several concrete actions, including job creation and establishing a women's Safe Space within the regional assistance center where GBV survivors and impacted community members can access psychological, legal and social assistance services. Established in 2020 with regional authorities' support, the Safe Space is the first center of its kind in ATU Gagauzia, which has a population of 140,000 people. The Women’s Safe Space offers a “one stop shop” of GBV services for women and their children and also offers counselling services to the broader community. The Safe Space’s mobile unit was created and conducted outreach to 59% of localities in Gagauzia, providing support to 180 individuals on preventing and combating gender-based violence, with the active participation of citizens. The participatory local planning process to end GBV was institutionalized through a decree and contributes to the localization of the National Strategy on Prevention and Combatting Violence against Women (2018-2023).

The project will further contribute to the localization of the national policy in matter of preventing and combating GBV phenomenon. It will help both to extend the services, set up on the basis of the Safe Space throughout the region and to continue spreading out the referral system, by establishing new 10 Multi-disciplinary Task Forces (hereafter MDTs) at the local level in the ATU Gagauzia. In addition, the project will support the economic empowerment of vulnerable women in the region, with focus on career guidance service and entrepreneurship.

Objectives:

• Extend the work of the Mobile Team Unit to the whole region, set up on the basis of the regional assistance center for survivors of gender-based violence;
• Create and institutionalize the local MDTs in at least 10 localities (in addition to those created so far in 10 out of 26 localities in UTAG);
• Develop and implement 10 Local Action Plans to Prevent and Combat Gender-Based Violence, jointly with community members;
• Development of career guidance service through the Mobile Team Unit, resulting in the employment of unemployed beneficiaries, especially from vulnerable groups;
• Support the creation of a local pilot businesses, directly contributing to the economic empowerment of women in order to break the vicious circle of violence;
• Strengthen the capacity of local key service delivery institutions to planning for the enforcement of service provision for GBV survivors;
• Raise public awareness to support prevention and disclosure of GBV cases.

Expected results:

Activity 1: Strengthen the reference system for combating gender-based violence throughout the whole of Gagauzia (UTAG), including in more remote localities

• At least 200 women from the Gagauzia region and neighboring regions have access to quality services and support from trained specialists;
• 10 local MDTs for the prevention of domestic violence created in at least 10 localities;
• Approx. 50 local leaders are trained and have increased capacity in the field of national standards on combating gender-based violence, in order to develop and implement a local action plan;
• Opinion leaders and decision-makers are made aware of violence against women and girls - at least 2,000 people will be involved in information campaigns.

Activity 2: Support for the economic empowerment of vulnerable women

• At least 50 women and men helped to get employment;
• At least 5 supported enterprises/businesses;
• At least 20 beneficiaries from ATU Gagauzia received professional training.

Accomplishments:

• The number of assisted beneficiaries – 884, of which 262 are refugees;
• 10 local multi-disciplinary taskforces created and institutionalised;
• 50 local leaders from 20 localities of ATU Gagauzia have in-depth knowledge in the field of national standards regarding combating gender-based violence;
• Around 3000 people from ATU Gagauzia were informed through the information campaign that took place throughout the whole year;
• 15 women were helped to get employment with long-term contracts;
• 15 women, of which 4 are refugees, participated in courses on starting their own business;
• 5 initiated businesses, which will generate at least 7 new jobs;
• 46 women, mainly from rural areas, participated in digital literacy courses.