Moldova has been marked by a violent history and currently suffers from a very high level of poverty. The country regained its independence in 1989, but is enmeshed in a serious, ongoing economic crisis. Women are the main victims of this situation; almost two-thirds of them are unemployed. A significant proportion of Moldovan women work abroad.
The Moldovan Family Code provides a relatively high level of protection for women within the family context. The free consent of both spouses is required for marriage, and the legal minimum age of marriage is 16 years for women and 18 years for men. Early marriage is authorised in exceptional circumstances: from 14 years of age for women and 16 years of age for men. As a result, early marriage is quite common. A 2004 United Nations report estimated that 12 per cent of girls between 15 and 19 years of age were married, divorced or widowed.
Polygamy is illegal in Moldova and there are no indications that it is practised.
The Family Code states that parental authority and the care and education of children are to be shared by the mother and father, who have the same rights and responsibilities. In the event of divorce, mothers are typically awarded custody of the children. Divorced mothers receive very little financial help from the state, however, and often encounter problems of unpaid child support.
The law treats men and women equally in regard to inheritance.
The physical integrity of Moldovan women is poorly protected. Violence against women, including domestic violence, is widespread. In most cases, the perpetrator is the husband or partner, but fathers and fathers-in-law are also known to be abusive. An estimated one-third of murders in Moldova are committed by the victim’s husband.
Domestic violence is partly linked to the country’s dire economic situation and to low levels of education for men. Women in the poorest sector of the population are almost twice as likely to be abused as their more advantaged counterparts.
Women have the right to file complaints against their abusers, but must provide a medical certificate. This is problematic in that such certificates can be issued only by doctors who are expert court witnesses and corruption in the public sector often allows offenders to buy their way out of being punished.
The authorities have made no serious attempts to combat domestic violence, which they perceive as a problem to be handled within the family. In divorce cases, judges often insist on a temporary period of reconciliation before separation, which can have catastrophic consequences for battered women. Government services to assist victims of abuse are seriously lacking. To fill the gap, various voluntary associations have established shelters and help lines, and conduct awareness-raising campaigns.
Rape is a crime, punishable by a prison sentence of between three and seven years, but there is no specific reference to spousal rape. There are thought to be many more rapes than those actually reported. At present, the law does not prohibit sexual harassment.
Trafficking of women is a serious problem; it is estimated that Moldovan women account for a large share of prostitutes in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. These women are often beaten and reduced to a form of slavery.
Female genital mutilation is not a common practice in Moldova, and it does not appear to be a country of concern in relation to missing women.
Moldovan law guarantees women’s financial independence, but there are often inequalities in practice. Women and men have the same rights to access to land and access to property other than land. Each spouse retains ownership of property acquired before marriage or inherited during the marriage. In the event of divorce, each spouse has the right to half the property acquired by the couple, but courts can rule otherwise according to the interests of children who are minors, or in other special circumstances.
There are no legal restrictions on women’s access to bank loans, but most women live in poverty and are unable to borrow because they cannot provide any collateral.
Moldovan women have a high degree of civil liberty; there are no legal restrictions to their freedom of movement or freedom of dress.
CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women) (2004), Consideration of Re¬ports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women: Republic of Moldova, CEDAW/C/MDA/2-3, CEDAW, New York, NY.
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights (2000), Domestic Violence in Moldova, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, Minneapolis.
Republic of Moldova Demographic and Health Survey 2005 (2006), ORC Macro, Calverton, MD
UN (United Nations) (2004), World Fertility Report 2003, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, New York, NY.
