Înapoi Equal opportunities without sexism in the Republic of Moldova: combating sexist speech, gender-based discrimination and violence against women

Equal opportunities without sexism in the Republic of Moldova: combating sexist speech, gender-based discrimination and violence against women

The NGO Gender-Centru from the Republic of Moldova, as host organization of Platform for Gender Equality, is implementing until April 2022 a project aiming at increasing equal opportunities without sexism in Moldova and raising awareness in the society at large to take a stand to combat sexist speech, gender-based discrimination and violence against women in elections. This project is carried out with the support of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, and its regional project “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Eastern Partnership.

The organisation Gender-Centru will:

  1. Strengthen capacities and knowledge of up to 300 women in politics on sexist speech, violence against women in elections and reporting such incidences on the gender.monitor.md;
  2. Develop two types of infographics on 1) sexist speech and online platform gender.monitor.md and 2) on sexist messages, discounts and advertising issued in the framework of International Women’s Day;
  3. Raise social awareness on sexist speech and violence against women in elections in the framework of March Festival;
  4. Raise social awareness on sexist messages and advertising shared by private and public entities in the framework of the International Women’s Day;
  5. Establish a collaboration between Gender Equality Platform and the Council for Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Ensuring of Equality (the Council of Equality).

Hate speech is prevalent in the Republic of Moldova and directly contributes to the perpetuation of discrimination on any grounds. Women are one of the most affected groups by hate speech, especially built on sexist attitudes, the use of stereotypes and gender prejudices and clichés related to the social roles of women in society. The activities in the framework of this project aim at raising awareness in the society at large to take a stand to combat sexist speech, gender-based discrimination and violence against women.

This project is one of the six civil society supported by the European Union/Council of Europe regional anti-discrimination project, in Armenia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine aimed at increasing access to justice for groups that experience discrimination, hate speech and hate crime.

This activity is implemented in the framework of the regional project “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in the Eastern Partnership,” funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022.

Republic of Moldova 17 December 2021
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page
Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page
  • Imprimer en PDF
Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

Follow us on social media