Raluca Maria Popa Center for Policy Studies CEU

1
Raluca Maria PopaCenter for Policy Studies/ CEU

• Monitoring the implementation of laws against
  domestic violence the Romanian case and the
  regional context

2
The case of Romania

• Who is monitoring
• National Agency for the Protection of the Family
  (Law no. 217/2003 on preventing and combating
  violence in the family)
• NGOs (more comprehensive monitoring)
• International NGOs, foreign organizations,
  regional organizations (Council of Europe),
  international organizations (UN)

3
The case of Romania

• Monitoring provisions in the National Strategy
  for Preventing and Combating Violence in the
  Family (2005-2007)
• Monitoring cases of domestic violence creation
  of a nationally integrated system for reporting
  and recording cases of violence in the family.

4
The case of Romania

• NAPF statistics
• Number of victims
• 2004 8104 cases of violence in the family, 84
  victims died
• 2005 9537 cases of violence in the family, 169
  victims died
• 2006 9372 cases of violence in the family, 151
  victims died
• First nine months of 2007 6717 cases of violence
  in the family, 103 victims died.

5
The case of Romania

• NAPF statistics
• Protection services
• 49 shelters for victims of violence in the family
  (language!), which can receive up to 400 persons
• 3 counseling centers
• 4 centers for aggressors
• Two national hotlines 021/983 and 112 (national
  emergency number)

6
The case of Romania

• National Strategy for Preventing and Combating
  Violence in the Family (2005-2007)
• National Agency for the Protecting the Family
  monitors the implementation of the national
  action plan for preventing and combating violence
  in the family at the national and at the local
  level.
• NAPF evaluates the implementation of the strategy
  and of all programs and projects in the area of
  preventing and combating domestic violence.

7
The case of Romania

• Monitoring by NGOs
• National Coalition against Violence against Women
  latest report from 2004
• Association for the Promotion of Women in
  Romania local monitoring of the implementation
  of Law 217/2003 latest report from 2004.
  Concluded (then) the implementation at the local
  level is delayed.

8
The case of Romania

• Monitoring by foreign organizations
• 2007 ABA CEELI Report Domestic violence in
  Romania the law, the court system Concluded
• there is a labyrinth of institutions with
  competences in the field that confuses victims
  and prevents an effective support system
• Law no. 217/2003 is not enforceable

9
The case of Romania

• CEDAW Monitoring
• 2006 Concluding Comments expressed concern about
  the insufficient implementation of measures
  against domestic violence
• 2006 Concluding Comments urged Romania to
  enhance the effective enforcement of its domestic
  violence legislation

10
The regional context

• Council of Europe standards on effective
  implementation of measures for protection of
  women against violence (note all types of
  violence)
• 2007 report Protecting women against violence
  (on the implementation of Recommendation
  Rec(2002)5 )

11
The regional context

• UNIFEM-BGRF analysis (2007) Main findings The
  most significant challenge for ending-violence
  work in Southeast Europe remains the gap between
  legal provisions and governmental commitments,
  under national strategies to promote gender
  equality and/ or combat domestic violence and
  their translation into concrete action and
  particularly into financial support and budgets
  to address domestic violence.
• Report of consultation available online at
  www.unifem.sk

12
What shall we monitor?

• Implementation or impact?
• Very difficult to monitor impact for ex., does
  increase in cases of DV mean an increase in DV or
  an increase in the no. of reported cases?
• However, important not to lose sight of the main
  goal to decrease (eliminate?) the incidence of
  domestic violence.

13

• Thank you!
• Raluca, popar_at_ceu.hu