Concept of femicide to be included in Moldovan legislation

Chisinau, July 6 /MOLDPRES/- Concept of femicide, which is the most serious form of violence against women, will be included into Moldovan legislation. A draft law to this effect was submitted today for public consultations in the parliament.

The initiative was drafted by Deputy Speaker Doina Gherman, in collaboration with the Women's Law Center.

The document was submitted for public consultations on the Platform of Women Deputies of the 11th Legislature Parliament. The discussions were attended by MPs, representatives of state institutions, international organizations, public associations.

According to the draft, femicide will be defined as the most serious form of violence against women, which involves the commission of the crime of intentional homicide or intentional serious injury to bodily integrity or health, resulting in the death of a woman, due to gender-based prejudice. The document also provides for a redefinition of the concept of psychological violence to include cyber-violence, as the use of information and communication technologies aggravates the long-term harm to the victim.

Another provision concerns the creation of a mechanism for collecting statistic data in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. The National Agency for Preventing and Combating Violence will be responsible for this.