Country Profile The Republic of Moldova

General Country Information

Summary

There is one national women’s helpline in the Republic of Moldova, operating 24/7 and free of charge. There are 13 women-only shelters and two emergency rooms in the country offering 235 beds, as well as 16 women’s centres and two sexual violence centres. Official documents refer to primary prevention, but with no budget specifically allocated to such measures. The state does not collect data on women’s specialist services or prevention activities.

The region of Transnistria is presented in a separate section since the Moldovan government exercises no direct control over the territory of Transnistria. In Transnistria, there are two women’s helplines which are free of charge, but not available 24/7, one women’s shelter providing 12 beds for adults and two cot beds for children, 13 women’s centres run by women’s NGOs and no specialised services for survivors of SV, as well as no systemic primary prevention activities. The state does not collect data on women’s specialist services.

Women’s Specialist Services

There is one national women’s helpline in the Republic of Moldova called Trust Line for Women and Girls (Telefonul de Încredere pentru Femei și Fete, tel.: +373 80088008), operating 24/7 and free of charge, thus meeting the standards of the Istanbul Convention. It offers multilingual support in Romanian, Russian, and, if necessary, in English. The helpline is run by the organisation La Strada and provides support for multiple forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, sexualised violence, psychological violence, economic violence, technology-facilitated violence, human trafficking and exploitation, stalking, and sexual harassment. It receives state funding and international funding, and in 2024, it was contacted 2,025 times by 1,104 women. The most commonly reported form of violence was physical violence, accounting for 65% of all cases, followed by psychological violence (22%), economic violence (7%), and sexualised violence (4%). Often, survivors face multiple, overlapping forms of abuse.

Additionally, the Law Women Centre runs a helpline providing free legal counselling, psychological and social support for women survivors of domestic violence and discrimination (tel.: +373 80080000). The helpline is not available 24/7, and it received 310 calls in 2024.

There are 13 women-only shelters in the country offering 235 beds, both in shelters and emergency rooms. This number does not meet the country’s needs, particularly in rural areas. Additionally, some shelters operate at full capacity and cannot accommodate survivors for longer periods of time or handle complex cases. While most shelters and emergency facilities in the country are formally designated as 24/7 services, in practice, accessibility varies significantly by region. Many shelters face limitations, such as insufficient night/weekend staffing, inconsistent admission procedures outside working hours, and reliance on referrals that are not always working around the clock. The situation in Chișinău is better, as the capital hosts a specialised centre run by the General Inspectorate of Police, which offers emergency accommodation for up to 48 hours. This facility operates 24/7 and ensures immediate protection for survivors of violence. After the initial crisis period, beneficiaries are referred to specialised shelters or support services for longer-term care, ensuring access to safety. A second emergency shelter in the capital is administered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and offers emergency accommodation for up to three months. Nevertheless, more consistent implementation of 24/7 access across all shelters is needed, along with improved coordination between first responders, social services, and shelter providers. Shelter services for women and their children are provided free of charge. Most women stay in the shelters between three and six months, and extensions up to one year are possible, but available only in a few shelters. The length of stay varies depending on each shelter’s capacity, available resources, and the individual needs of the women. Among the various in-house services provided by women-only shelters, counselling and psychological support emerge as the most predominant, followed by referrals and collaboration with other services, healthcare, housing, employment assistance, social benefits, as well as legal advice. Some shelters offer casework and practical advice related to daily living and long-term reintegration, as well as child-focused support services.

Most women-only shelters can accommodate refugee women, older women and women with children with disabilities, while some shelters can also be accessed by and are accessible to women with uncertain residence permits, undocumented women, homeless women, women with physical and sensory disabilities, transgender women, women with older sons and unaccompanied girls under the age of 18. No shelters are accessible to women with cognitive disabilities. There are no shelters exclusively specialised in supporting specific groups of survivors, but some shelters and counselling centres can provide services tailored to specific groups.

Women-only shelters are funded through state funding, donations and international funding, and only one of them, Association “Casa Mărioarei”, is run by a women’s NGO with a gender-specific and feminist approach, while the others are run by other NGOs, religious organisations, public authorities and national institutions. Shelters and emergency facilities in Moldova are predominantly located in urban centres and regional hubs, which poses significant challenges for women and children living in rural and remote areas. While some regions have access to maternal centres or emergency rooms, many rural communities remain underserved due to limited geographic coverage, transportation barriers, and a lack of awareness about available services. In 2024, the main reason for having to decline referrals was the lack of space and capacity to accommodate survivors, especially those with children, as many shelters operate (close to) full capacity; additionally, another barrier was the lack of adequate facilities to support survivors with specific needs, e.g., with disabilities. For shelters run by NGOs, the lack of sustainable funding remains a major obstacle to expanding services. In 2024, the most common form of violence reported by 73% of survivors was psychological violence. Physical violence was reported by approx. 40% of the survivors, while economic violence was reported by nearly 10% of them. In 2024, women-only shelters supported between 1,500 and 2,000 women and children. There are no other shelters in Moldova supporting survivors of gender-based violence.

There are 16 women’s centres in the Republic of Moldova, out of which ten are only for women, while the others support all survivors of gender-based violence. Women’s centres in Moldova provide services such as legal advice, referrals and collaboration with other services, counselling, and advocacy. Many centres offer psychological support, including individual and group therapy, and empowerment and life skills workshops. Outreach and awareness-raising activities are common, targeting communities to prevent violence and reduce stigma. Some centres provide training on gender equality and violence prevention for professionals, including police, social workers, and healthcare providers. Additionally, several centres engage in policy advocacy to influence legislation and improve the overall response to violence against women. Additionally, women’s centres also provide specialist support for survivors of sexualised violence, including specialist forensic and medical care, needs assessment, specialist psychological care, specialist advocacy services, community awareness and education for prevention and legal advice.

In terms of accessibility, most centres are equipped to support women with uncertain residence permits, undocumented women, refugee women, and women with physical disabilities. Some centres are accessible to women with sensory disabilities, older women and unaccompanied girls under the age of 18. There are ten centres specialised in supporting girls under the age of 18, two centres specialised in supporting older women, and two centres specialised in supporting survivors (or those at risk) of trafficking in persons. Such centres provide expert counselling, legal aid, shelter, and empowerment programmes.
Eleven centres are run by women’s NGOs, one by another NGO, and four by the state. Funding comes from donations and international funding, and centres are mostly located in major cities. To address the geographical coverage gap, some centres have established regional branches or mobile outreach services to reach women in rural communities. However, challenges persist about transportation, awareness, and resource allocation. In 2024, between 15,000 and 20,000 women were supported by women’s centres.

In the Republic of Moldova, there are two rape and sexual violence crisis centres, and one specialised helpline for cases of sexualised violence. Forensic evidence in cases of sexualised violence is primarily collected in specialised medical institutions, such as the Forensic Medicine Centre in Chișinău, which operates with trained staff following trauma-informed protocols, as well as at the Family Justice Centre, subordinated to the General Inspectorate of Police, which operates 24/7 and provides all necessary services. Medical services collaborate closely with law enforcement and NGOs. Specialist services for survivors of sexualised violence in the country provide needs assessment, specialist psychological care, community awareness and education for prevention and legal advice. Funding for these services comes from state funding (the government allocates limited budgets to support state-run shelters, medical facilities, and some specialised centres), donations (many NGOs rely significantly on donations to sustain and expand their services), international funding (including the European Union, UN agencies, USAID, and other bilateral donors), and their work is further sustained through partnerships and volunteer work. These services support women, young women and children under 18. Specialised services for sexualised violence in Moldova are primarily concentrated in urban centres such as Chișinău and Ungheni. Access in rural and remote areas remains limited, and some NGOs and international partners have developed mobile outreach programs and established regional referral networks aimed at reaching survivors in remote locations. These initiatives provide critical first-line support, information, and referrals, but comprehensive services, including forensic examinations and specialised counselling, are often less accessible outside urban hubs.

In the Republic of Moldova, although some progress has been made in systematising data related to the primary prevention of gender-based violence, public authorities still do not consistently collect it. Prevention efforts—such as awareness campaigns, gender education, and community engagement—are carried out mainly by civil society and international partners, with limited coordination and integration into national monitoring mechanisms. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and the National Agency for the Prevention and Combating of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence occasionally report prevention initiatives; however, these are limited to ad-hoc activities and are not part of a structured, long-term approach based on partnerships involving multiple stakeholders. Official documents make reference to primary prevention but focus mainly on awareness-raising. The National Strategy for Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (2018–2023) included prevention under Pillar I, but without providing evidence-based models or structural measures. National Action Plans developed after Moldova ratified the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention in 2021 also refer to prevention, but again, most actions prioritise communication rather than long-term interventions. Sectoral strategies in areas such as education or youth sometimes include gender equality or anti-discrimination elements, yet they lack a clear focus on preventing violence against women and girls. Moldova does not define primary prevention in law or in strategic documents. Although prevention is mentioned in policy frameworks, it is not distinguished from secondary or tertiary measures, and the concept remains underdeveloped. There is also no dedicated budget for primary prevention at the national, regional, or local levels.

Current activities include feminist self-defence courses, empowerment programmes for girls and women, initiatives dedicated to men and boys, optional school programmes, training for professionals, self-care activities, and general awareness-raising campaigns. However, the impact of these initiatives is not evaluated systematically. Public authorities do not coordinate or finance structured evaluations, and a national framework for monitoring effectiveness is lacking. As a result, evaluations are carried out on a small scale, mainly by NGOs within the projects they implement. Organisations such as the National Coalition “Life Without Violence”, the Association Against Violence “Casa Mărioarei”, the Women’s Law Centre, the International Centre La Strada, and the Platform for Gender Equality have developed such evaluations, usually in line with donor requirements. Nevertheless, the findings remain fragmented, are not integrated into government systems, and have a limited impact on public policy development.

Primary prevention is mainly driven by women’s organisations and civil society, often with international donor support. The National Coalition “Life Without Violence” and its members conduct gender education in schools, empowerment workshops, community campaigns, and training on positive masculinities. The association “Casa Mărioarei” is part of a regional project and has developed a programme specifically aimed at engaging men in challenging harmful gender norms.

Transnistria

Women’s Specialist Services

There are two state-wide women’s helplines in Transnistria. The Free Informational Line on Domestic Violence in Transnistria (Приднестровская платформа по предотвращению насилия в семье и продвижению прав женщин, tel.: +373 80044000) is run by the Centre for Support and Development of Civic Initiatives “Resonance”, it is free of charge, and it is available 24/7, meeting the standards of the Istanbul Convention. The helpline does not offer multilingual support and assists survivors of domestic, physical, psychological, sexualised and economic violence. The other helpline is a trust line provided by the organisation Interaction (Телефон Доверия по вопросам насилия в семье, tel.: +373 80099800), which is free of charge, but it does not provide 24/7 support nor multilingual support. As the other helpline, it supports survivors of different forms of violence: domestic, physical, psychological, sexualised and economic violence. The helplines in Transnistria are supported by international funding, and in 2024, they received 2,029 calls. The most common forms of violence reported by callers were domestic violence, psychological violence and economic violence.

There is one shelter in Transnistria providing 12 beds for adults and two cot beds for children up to the age of three. The shelter offers 24/7 support, and women are not expected to pay for their accommodation. On average, women can stay in the shelter up to one year, and the types of in-house services provided include casework, counselling, psychological support and legal advice. The shelter can accommodate women with uncertain residence permits, transgender women, women with disabilities, and women with children with disabilities. However, the shelter cannot accommodate women with substance abuse issues, as well as women with certain mental health issues that pose a risk to others.

The shelter receives international funding and is run by a women’s NGO with a gender-specific approach. The shelter had to decline referrals due to the lack of space or capacity to support the survivor, if the survivors were ineligible for support, or in cases in which it was not adequately equipped to support the specific needs of the survivor. In such cases, the staff helps to find another organisation that can provide adequate support. The most common forms of violence reported by women were domestic violence, physical violence and psychological violence, but in most cases, women who seek support are victims of several types of violence at the same time. In 2024, the shelter supported 54 women. Additionally, in Transnistria, there is a maternity centre run by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, which offers five beds, and there is a shelter for migrants.

There are 13 women’s centres in Transnistria, which provide counselling/psychological support, legal advice, financial and social welfare support/advocacy, housing advice, employment, referrals/collaboration with other services, representation at court/police/social services, and residential support services. There are women’s centres specialised in supporting survivors (at risk) of trafficking in persons, women with uncertain residence permits and undocumented women, as well as refugee women. Women’s centres in Transnistria receive international funding, are present in all regions, and in 2024 supported 328 women.

There are no sexualised violence services in Transnistria, and survivors find support in women’s shelters and centres.

There is no National Action Plan against violence against women available in Transnistria. Women’s NGOs run primary prevention activities, in particular during the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Such activities include discussions with students, film screenings, advertising on local television about women’s specialist services and awareness-raising campaigns.