"Criminal record" for family violence

The "No Abuse" Association reported a constant increase, during the last years, of family abuse and it asks for tightening legislation in this field

Given that in 2010 over 12 000 cases were registered, 26 percent more than in 2009, according to the association’s reports, the association is asking for tightened punishments against people who beat or assault their family members.

The representatives of the non-governmental organization "No Abuse" say it is important to prevent violent behaviour and provide support to victims and also to introduce measures in the current legislation in order to discourage aggressors and encourage victims to report to authorities the situations they are facing

The association’s representatives put forward several amendments to the laws on domestic violence, which are being debated in Parliament.

For instance, they have suggested introducing the criminal record for domestic violence offences as a means of keeping track of the persons who have been sanctioned for acts of violence and also implementing the protection, restriction, and interdiction order.

Coming back to the domestic violence, there is a serious situation in the Capital where domestic violence cases have increased by 70 percent in 2010 compared to 2009

Moreover, a study conducted by "No Abuse" Association in 2008 points out that nearly half of men consider it normal to hit their partner and, surprisingly, one third of the women who took part in the study stated that it is normal to be hit.


Translated by Catalina Virvescu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University