OPEN LETTER We petition urgent adoption of efficient monitoring measures for aggressors and unblocking Government draft bill to harmonize national legislation with the Istanbul Convention provisions

The Romanian Network to Prevent and Combat Violence against Women, including 25 national non-governmental organizations, petition the  adoption of efficient monitoring measures for aggressors and unblocking the Government draft bill aimed at harmonizing the national legislation with the Istanbul Convention provisions.

On Friday, January 26, Nicoleta Botan was stabbed by her former partner, against whom she had obtained a protection order. The abuse took place at the Bucharest kindergarten where Nicoleta Botan was working and which their two children were attending. The woman died shortly afterwards. The same week, another woman, Alexandra Marin, was stabbed by the former partner, in the military service, while at a hair salon in Titu and she also died shortly afterwards. The soldier’s former wife stated that she had filed complaints with the police against him many times, though the police did not take any measures, and believes she is still alive because she decided to flee the country.

By means of this open letter we petition you to solicit a report to be issued by the Romanian Police regarding the number of protection orders violated in 2017 and the manner in which the obligation of the police to follow up on the observance of protection orders has been fulfilled in those cases. How many aggressors who broke the protection orders are under investigation for court order violation and how many defendants accused of the same violations have received prison sentences? Despite protection orders issued or complaints filed with the police against aggressors, women continue to be beaten and ultimately killed. The protection order was introduced in the legislation in 2012, but the Romanian Police communicated to us in August 2017: “At the level of the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police no working procedure has been developed concerning the implementation and supervision norms of protection orders in cases of family violence, in keeping with Law no. 217/2003, as republished. Nevertheless, at central level, office circular letters were sent to local structures regarding unitary action methodology.”

We also petition mandating a monitoring system of protection order observance by ensuring monitoring of aggressors by means of electronic monitoring bracelets, a measure proposed by previous governments and supported by our Network, which has not materialized so far. We deem it necessary to urgently adopt working procedures regarding the implementation and supervision norms of protection orders, in consultation with the civil society.

The draft bill (Proiectul de lege) for amending and completing Law no. 217/2003 on the prevention and combating family violence, as republished, with subsequent amendments and additions, was submitted to public debate in July 2017. The draft bill aims at introducing the emergency protection order (art.52, Istanbul Convention), issued by the policeman, following an efficient assessment instrument upon finding the acts of violence, apt to secure real and fast protection, ensuring access to justice for victims of violence, as well as adequate budgeting for shelters and counseling and support services. This draft bill has been signed by the previous cabinet and is to be signed again by the members of the new cabinet, to then be sent to Parliament.

During this time, when the Government of Romania keeps postponing the adoption of measures necessary for women’s safety and also postpones sending the draft bill to Parliament, an average of 39 women will file complaints to the police, every day, for hitting or other acts of violence by a family member. Every four days, there will be a case filed with the police, where a minor has been raped by a family member. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that 25% of homicides recorded at national level in 2015 took place in the family.

The signatories of this petition are the nongovernmental organizations member of The Romanian Network to Prevent and Combat Violence against Women / Rețeaua pentru Prevenirea și Combaterea Violenței împotriva Femeilor (Rețeaua VIF):

  1. Asociaţia TRANSCENA, Bucureşti
  2. Asociaţia Femeilor Împotriva Violenţei  ARTEMIS, Cluj-Napoca
  3. Fundaţia SENSIBLU, București
  4. Asociaţia GRADO – Grupul Român pentru Apărarea Drepturilor Omului, Bucureşti
  5. Fundaţia Centrul Parteneriat pentru Egalitate, Bucureşti
  6. Asociatia pentru Libertate şi Egalitate de Gen, A.L.EG., Sibiu
  7. Asociaţia Centrul FILIA, Bucureşti
  8. Asociaţia FRONT, Bucureşti
  9. Asociaţia ANAIS, București
  10. E-ROMNJA – Asociația pentru Promovarea Drepturilor Femeilor Rome, București
  11. Institutul Est European pentru Sănătatea Reproducerii – IEESR, Tg. Mureş
  12. Fundaţia Centrul de Mediere şi Securitate Comunitară – CMSC, Iași
  13. Asociația PAS ALTERNATIV, Braşov
  14. Asociaţia pentru Promovarea Femeilor din România, Timişoara
  15. Societatea Doamnelor Bucovinene, Suceava
  16. Asociația ATENA DELPHI, Cluj-Napoca
  17. Asociația SEVA – Șanse egale – Valoare – Autoritate, Suceava
  18. Asociația SPICC – Solidaritate, Participare, Incluziune, Comunicare, Cooperare, Timișoara
  19. Asociatia Quantic, București
  20. Asociația All for Family, Constanța
  21. Asociația Femeilor Universitare, București
  22. Asociația VIS, Constanța
  23. Asociația Psihosfera, Brașov
  24. Asociatia Business Professional Women -Romania
  25. Asociația Szentkereszty Stephanie Egyesület

The open letter is supported by:

  1. Timișoara Civică
  2. Asociația Pieces of Heaven, Timișoara
  3. Federația Inițiativa Timișoara
  4. Asociația Arsens Timișoara
  5. Asociația Culturală Diogene, Timișoara
  6. Asociația LGBTeam, Timișoara
  7. Societatea de Analize Feministe – AnA
  8. Asociația Plural
  9. Asociația MozaiQ LGBT
  10. Asociația E-Civis
  11. MCA România
  12. Asociația Tineri pentru Tineri
  13. Fundația Județeană pentru Tineret Timiș (FITT)
  14. Asociația Civicus România
  15. Asociația Romano ButiQ
  16. Alianța Națională a Organizațiilor Studențești din România
  17. Asociația Mișcarea civică “Miliția spirituală”
  18. Asociația Carusel
  19. MRC- Median Research Centre
  20. Asociației Studenților la Sociologie și Asistență Socială (AS-SAS UB).
  21. Asociația Ateliere fără Frontiere
  22. CeRe: Centrul de Resurse pentru Participare Publică
  23. Asociația Funky Citizens
  24. Asociația Human Catalyst
  25. Fundația Agenția Împreună
  26. Fundația Policy Center for Roma and Minorities
  27. Societatea Națională de Cruce Roșie- Filiala Brașov
  28. Asociația Diversitate
  29. Asociația Sens Pozitiv
  30. Asociația Viitorul Tinerilor
  31. Federatia ONG Muntenia
  32. Centrul pentru Studiul Democrației
  33. Salvați Copiii România
  34. Grupul pentru Dialog Social
  35. Romanian Harm Reduction Network
  36. Asociației A.R.T. Fusion
  37. Institutul de Politici Publice – IPP
  38. Centrul European pentru Drepturile Copiiilor cu Dizabilități – CEDCD
  39. Consiliul Tineretului din România
  40. Centrul Euroregional pentru Inițiative Publice – ECPI
  41. Asociația Umanistă Română
  42. Asociația Psihologilor Atestați din România- A.P.A.R.,
  43. Asociația Fii Iubire Neconditionata- A.F.I.N.
  44. Societatea Civilă Profesională de Psihologie Jardan și Asociații, Brașov
  45. Asociatia WORLD Delta, Brașov
  46. Asociatia Comunitară Centrul Educațional Sofia,Brașov
  47. Fundația Agapedia România
  48. Cabinet Individual de Asistență Socială- reprezentat prin As. Soc. Daniela Lupu
  49. Cabinet de avocatură Enescu Rodica
  50. Societatea civilă de avocați Ștefănescu-Goangă & Asociații – prin avocat Liliana Ștefănescu-Goangă
  51. Societatea Națională de Cruce Roșie – filiala sector 3 București
  52. Asociația Active Watch
  53. Centrul de Studii în Idei Politice – CeSiP
  54. Sexul vs. Barza
  55. Asociația Accept
  56. Community Aid Network Brașov
  57. Fundația pentru Asistență Socială și Tineret FAST
  58. Asociația pentru Educația Permanentă a Adulților EDUCADULT
  59. Asociația APADOR-CH
  60. Centrul de Resurse Juridice
  61. Asociația ARAS
  62. Platforma RESPECT
  63. ASUR – Asociația Secular-Umanistă din România.
  64. Inițiativa România
  65. Cabinet individual de psihologie Dana Militaru
  66. Centrul pentru Inovare Publică
  67. În comunitate – Timișoara
  68. ARAS – filiala Brașov
  69. ARAS – filiala Timișoara
  70. Cabinet psihologic individual Spiridon Olga
  71. Asociația Glasul Prieteniei Brașov
  72. Asociatiei Femeilor Romance din Italia – ADRI
  73. Asociatia Pro Office Tmisoara
  74. Asociatia Mutatis Mutandis Bacau
  75. Centrul European pentru Educatie si Cercetare Juridica (ECLER)
  76. Pride Romania Cluj
  77. Asociația Voci pentru Democrație și Justiție – VeDemJust
  78. Asociația V.I.V.A.D. Cluj

 

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