Moldova’s Criminal Code has been supplemented with a provision criminalizing forced marriage. The measure is part of a wider legislative package, adopted in second reading, which aims to strengthen the protection of women against all forms of violence, including online violence, IPN reports.
The new provision qualifies as forced marriage any act whereby a person is compelled to enter or remain in a marriage or cohabitation relationship by the use of violence, threats, deception or psychological pressure.
The draft law brings Moldovan legislation in line with the standards of the Istanbul Convention and introduces additional measures to protect women, with a focus on combating digital abuse and economic violence.
The law on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence has been supplemented with the notion of violence with a digital dimension, and the definition of domestic violence will be broadened to include online abuse between family members. New obligations for perpetrators have also been introduced, such as removing abusive content from electronic devices and banning access to electronic communication services.
The definition of economic violence has also been broadened to include the unlawful extraction or use of the victim’s bank funds.
In order to increase the effectiveness and duration of measures to protect victims, the term of the protection order has been extended from 3 to 6 months and the term of the emergency restraining order – from 10 to 20 days.
Penalties for sexual harassment have also been toughened. Those found guilty face fines of up to 50,000 lei, unpaid community service or up to four years in jail.
In 2024, authorities monitored more than 1100 protection orders, almost half of which were violated. According to the study “Women’s well-being and safety”, 73% of women in the Republic of Moldova who had an intimate partner were victims of some form of violence, the most common being psychological violence – recorded in 71% of cases, compared to an EU average of 43%.