The study provides a set of recommendations for aligning with the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence known as the Istanbul Convention.

It emphasises gaps in the protection against online and technology-facilitated violence against women, highlighting the need for more education, training, preventive interventions, and treatment programs for perpetrators. There is also a lack of information on the digital dimension of violence against women, and support services may not fully meet victims’ unique needs, such as the prompt removal of intimate content online. The Moldovan criminal framework currently exhibits limitations, with narrow legal provisions on psychological violence, stalking, and image-based sexual abuse.

The recommendations for the criminalisation of various forms of digital violence are currently being reviewed by the national digital violence working group, established by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. These recommendations will be considered for incorporation into the amended Law 45/2007 on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

The study was produced with the support of  the Council of Europe project "Supporting the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Republic of Moldova".