More than 130 Professionals from Chisinau Municipality and Surrounding Communities Strengthened Their Capacities to Respond to Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence Cases
More than 130 professionals from the fields of social assistance, education, healthcare, law enforcement, child protection, and local public administration participated in local coordination and training sessions dedicated to the multidisciplinary response to violence against women and domestic violence cases, held in Chisinau Municipality. The programme brought together members of multidisciplinary teams from all sectors of the capital city and surrounding localities, contributing to strengthened interinstitutional cooperation and improved response capacities at the local level.
The training sessions were conducted within the framework of the National Programme for Training and Specialization of Professionals in the Prevention and Combating of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. The sessions were organized by the National Agency for Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (ANPCV), with the support of Gender-Centru and AO AVE Copiii, under the project “Empowering Women through Gender-Based Violence Response Services” (SAVV), supported by the World Bank Group and financed by the Government of Japan through the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF).
In this context, Jennifer Solotaroff, Senior Social Development Specialist, World Bank Group Moldova, emphasized the importance of investing in the capacity building of professionals working on violence response:
“We believe that a coordinated, empathetic, and women-centered response is essential for building safer and more resilient communities. These coordination and training sessions contribute to strengthening the capacities of professionals involved in the multidisciplinary response to violence against women and domestic violence cases. Through the SAVV project, we support both the development of support services and the economic empowerment of women survivors of violence, enabling them to rebuild their lives with greater safety, independence, and support.”
The training programme was designed to address the practical needs of professionals who work daily with women and children affected by violence. It combined two days of online training, three days of face-to-face sessions, and two follow-up online sessions aimed at reinforcing knowledge and supporting its practical application.
Throughout the sessions, participants explored key topics relevant to multidisciplinary intervention, including the legal and institutional protection framework, gender equality and violence against women, the intersections between violence against women and violence against children, the roles and responsibilities of multidisciplinary teams, risk identification, case management, empathetic communication, professional ethics, interinstitutional cooperation, and prevention of professional burnout.
Viorica Țîmbalari, Director of ANPCV, highlighted the importance of these trainings for strengthening the national response system to violence:
“Violence against women and domestic violence require a coordinated, professional, and collaborative response across institutions. These sessions contribute to strengthening the capacities of local multidisciplinary teams and to developing a shared understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each actor involved. Only through cooperation and coordinated interventions can we ensure the protection and support that women and children affected by violence need.”
An important component of the programme was its practical focus. At the end of the training stages, participants were assigned individual tasks involving the analysis of real-life situations and case studies from their professional practice. These were presented and discussed during the final two online sessions, providing an opportunity to apply newly acquired knowledge, analyze challenges encountered in multidisciplinary interventions, and identify solutions and good practices for improving institutional responses.
The programme also enabled participants to explore more deeply the links between women’s protection and child protection, highlighting the importance of coordinated interventions and professional collaboration in addressing the needs of all persons affected by violence.
Mariana Ianachevici, Director of AO AVE Copiii and Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), emphasized the need for an integrated approach to multidisciplinary intervention:
“In many situations, violence against women and violence against children coexist, and institutional responses must take this reality into account. Strengthening the capacities of professionals from different sectors contributes to the early identification of risks, more effective interventions, and the protection of the rights of every child and every woman affected by violence. Programmes such as this create the foundation for stronger institutional cooperation and services that are better tailored to the needs of beneficiaries.”
Mariana Buruiană, Director of the SAVV Project at Gender-Centru, also stressed the importance of investing in the professional development of specialists:
“Every trained professional means a better response for women and children in need of support. These sessions provided participants not only with knowledge and practical tools but also with opportunities to learn from one another, analyze real-life situations, and identify solutions to challenges encountered in their daily work. Strengthening professional competencies directly contributes to improving service quality and developing a more effective and accessible support system.”
Through these training sessions, ANPCV, Gender-Centru, and AO AVE Copiii contribute to strengthening a functional and sustainable multidisciplinary approach based on cooperation, shared responsibility, and interventions centered on the needs of people affected by violence.
This activity was organized by the National Agency for Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (ANPCV), with the support of Gender-Centru, in partnership with AO AVE Copiii, with support from the World Bank Group and funding provided by the Government of Japan through the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF), within the framework of the National Programme for Training and Specialization of Professionals in the Prevention and Combating of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence.
The National Programme for Strengthening the Capacities of Multidisciplinary Teams has been developed by the National Agency for Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence in partnership with UN Women Moldova and UNICEF Moldova, with financial support from the European Union and methodological assistance provided by AO AVE Copiii.