Ana-Maria Law. The Term “Femicide” May Appear in Moldovan Legislation

By the end of this week, the parliament is planning to prepare the first draft of amendments that will introduce the term “femicide” into the Moldovan legislation, as well as toughen the punishment for offences against women. These are the proposals of a working group set up in the legislature amid the high-profile criminal case of a young woman from Orhei who was murdered last month with extreme atrocity. A month after the Parliament held hearings on the high-profile murder case of 19-year-old Ana-Maria near Orhei, a working group consisting of representatives of several state institutions will prepare the first draft of legislative amendments that will introduce the term “femicide” into Moldovan legislation. The Chairperson of the Coordinating Council of Women MPs, Doina Gherman, says it might be ready by the end of this week. “The concept of femicide will include approaches with different characteristics. Ana-Maria is clearly a victim of misogyny and sexism. These are amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, as well as mechanisms of work of law enforcement agencies”, - said Gherman. The Inspectorate General of Police has submitted proposals to the Ministry of the Interior aimed at removing loopholes in the legislation and giving legal entities the necessary leverage to resolve such cases more quickly and efficiently. “Immediately obtaining information about phone readouts. This applies to cases involving missing persons, which is a particularly high risk. Discussions have already been held with the representatives of the Centre regarding the protection of personal data, how to find that common denominator in order not to affect privacy, but also to guarantee the security of ordinary citizens,” said Viorel Cernauteanu, head of the Inspectorate General of Police. The head of the Interior Ministry, Adrian Efros, says that it is also necessary to speed up the timeframes for carrying out all the examinations, including forensic medical examinations, which in most cases are carried out only in Chisinau. “One of the mechanisms is to have much quicker access to expertise or to carry out the expertise in a much shorter period of time in order to do all the investigations and get that conclusive evidence that we can go to court with,” the Interior Minister said. The drafted amendments may be approved by MPs in both readings by the end of the parliamentary session, members of the working group said. Discussions about the need for legislative changes arose after a 19-year-old woman, who was six months pregnant, was kidnapped at a public transport stop in Orhei district in April this year. She was searched for more than a week but eventually found murdered, with signs of violence and torture. Authorities say she could have been found much faster if police could have quickly accessed the CCTV cameras. The case has caused widespread public outcry and prompted authorities to introduce the term “femicide” into legislation, which provides for stiffer penalties for those who commit such offences against women.