Network of shelters for victims of violence will expand. Plugaru: "Women must have this option"
The number of women seeking assistance from social services due to violence increased from around 2,000 in 2023 to 10,000 in 2025. Minister of Labor and Social Protection Natalia Plugaru explains that this rise reflects both the scale of the issue and an increasing willingness among women to seek help. In response, authorities are expanding the network of shelters for victims. This initiative is part of a broader plan to enhance protection services and support the Republic of Moldova's integration into the European Union.
Increase in support cases and expanded shelter network for women
The Minister highlighted recent observations regarding social services, noting a significant rise in cases reported by women over the past two years. He stated, "Focusing strictly on social services—since there are also women who report directly to the police or medical professionals—there were approximately 2,000 women seeking support in 2023. By 2025, this number had surged to 10,000, to whom we provided various forms of assistance or placement in shelters," in the Radio Moldova's show "La 360 de grade".
New shelters opened and future plans
In response to the increasing need, authorities have expanded the network of shelters for women who are forced to leave their homes for safety. The Minister mentioned that two new shelters have been established, with plans to open more in the future.
"While we have expanded the shelter network with two new facilities, ideally, these shelters wouldn't need to exist. However, when a woman must leave her home, it's crucial that such resources are available. That’s why we are continuing to expand," stated Natalia Plugaru.
The enhancement of protection services aligns with the Republic of Moldova's objectives for European Union accession. "Providing shelters for women facing violence is an integral part of our development plan as well as our roadmap for EU integration," the Minister added.
Addressing risks faced by social workers
Natalia Plugaru also discussed the dangers that social workers encounter when visiting homes where violence is suspected. The Ministry is collaborating with them to help identify signs of violence earlier and to encourage victims to seek assistance.
"We work closely with social workers to ensure they can recognize signs of violence during home visits and encourage women to report it. However, we are also exploring measures to protect our social workers, as they often face aggression from perpetrators when entering a home," Plugaru explained.
The Minister emphasized the importance of safety during home visits, particularly when risks are present. "In these cases, it's essential to conduct home visits jointly with the police; otherwise, the situation can become very complicated," said Natalia Plugaru.
Thousands of victims protected by orders
Between 2021 and 2026, the Republic of Moldova issued 7,072 protection orders, safeguarding 7,418 adults and 533 minors. The number of applications rose from 1,224 in 2021 to 1,350 in 2025, and the approval rate increased to 87%, up from 67% in 2021.
During this period, authorities recorded 1,337 criminal cases involving violations of protection orders, and courts already handed down sentences in 984 of them.
There are 11 public-sector shelters for domestic violence victims, providing a total of 230 spaces. The Family Justice Center has been operational since 2023 and assisted 555 victims in the last eight months. Additionally, 814 individuals were referred to placement centers.
Measures following the Măgdăcești killing
On August 31, a 42-year-old woman from the village of Măgdăcești in the Criuleni District was allegedly killed by her husband, who then took his own life using an illegally held homemade weapon. Their bodies were discovered by their 15-year-old daughter.
The woman had sought protection as early as July 13, obtaining an initial order on July 16. However, the aggressor violated this order on August 3. A second order was issued on August 25, and on that day, the aggressor was fitted with electronic monitoring equipment.
Unfortunately, the device lost its GPS signal on the day it was installed, and the man left the country between August 25 and August 30, a fact the Border Police later confirmed. On the morning of August 31, he could no longer be contacted, and the crime was reported to the 112 emergency service at 09:17. At the time of the tragedy, the man was not wearing the monitoring device.
Following this incident, Viorel Sochircă, the Director of the National Probation Inspectorate, resigned on September 2. Minister of Justice Vladislav Cojuhari publicly acknowledged the failure of the monitoring system, noting that 354 individuals are currently under electronic monitoring in the Republic of Moldova, including 190 domestic abusers.
On September 3, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan announced five measures aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence and monitoring abusers. These measures include implementing border alerts, granting the General Police Inspectorate access to the monitoring platform, increasing penalties for violating protection orders, and replenishing the stock of monitoring devices by doubling the budget for their procurement.
On September 9, the Government announced the purchase of 60 additional monitoring devices, which were set to be put into operation starting September 10.
