Making a Difference to Women Activism

Celebrating 20years –IWRAW Asia Pacific

CEDAW 67th SESSION

Report on discrimination and violence in the context of

intolerance on the full enjoyment of all human rights by women and
girls in ROMANIA
I would like to present at the 67th session of CEDAW the situation of women in
Romania from a point of view of discrimination, because 27 years ago I was the one
who during the revolution in Romania I have abolished the communist forms of the
women's movement and have founded the first democratic organization The
Women's Association in Romania (ASOCIATIA FEMEILOR din ROMANIA AFR),
also because 10 years ago I have presented the shadow report at the 35 session of
CEDAW at UN.

Thank you for inviting me again to show in this report the views of Romanian women
who I represent!

Asociatia Femeilor din Romania is the first democratic organisation for women
and was founded in the days of the Romanian Revolution in December 1989, as a
result of the need to organize, represent and to protect the rights of women in
Romania.

The Women's Association in Romania (AFR) purpose is to group all women

in Romania together, regardless of their residence, age, nationality, religion, political
conviction, profession, putting forward the awareness-raising of women when it
comes to:

-Their responsibilities when participating in the economic, socio-political and cultural

activities, as mothers and wives;

-Specific problems influenced by the society;

-Specific rights which women can benefit from.

AFR is a leader within the women’s movement and it is fighting for a real status for
the women in our country.We currently active in partnership with AFRI TOTHER ,
Our mission is to

Empowering women and advancing their rights!

Since 27 years Asociatia femeilor din Romania (Womens Association of Romania)

has a rich history in the field of combating violence and discrimination even before
Romania’s accession to the EU.

Our Association was the first national women’s organisation established in

Romania after 1989, with more than 27 years of activity in this field and about the
practical ways in which women rights are ensured, guaranteed and respected in
Romania.

In its 27 years of existence, AFR has developed national and international

programmes and projects; held training courses and activities in women's support;
organized advocacy seminars and campaigns in the areas of: civic education, health,
gender equality, promotion of tolerance and non-violent behavior, elimination of
poverty and discrimination, adult education and development of international
partnerships.

The pragmatic approach gives the association a large audience within women.
The activities of AFR are based on voluntary work.

The Association's programmes focus on inter generational knowledge offering

opportunities both to young and elderly women in distress, living in disadvantaged
areas. In this sense, the slogan of the Association is "Help me to help you!".

AFR coordinates a network of other national women organizations and is also a

member of several international bodies concerned with the gender status and
situation.

We are aware that empowering women and advancing their rights is not only the right
thing to do for them, but it can lead to progress on a range of issues, including the
fight against poverty, hunger and violence,disseminating information and supporting
national efforts to advance women's rights and the prevention of and response to
violence against women.

We know that women play a key role in the struggle against poverty,violence ,
discrimination. But their capabilities remain still unused. They do not have equal
access to education, jobs and property , that is why Anti-discrimination is one of
important objective of AFR working in partnership with and AFRI TOGETHER.

We make efforts by understanding discrimination, learning about diversity and

sharing ideas on taking action against sexist, racist and homophobic remarks to
change the Romanian society
 In this sence ,we have supported the National Strategy 2007-2013 organizing
several activities of education in the field of human rights through conferences,
round tables, campaigns, formulating points of view on national legislation and
especially on the respect for women rights.

We have focused to advocate for the harmonization of the national legislation with
the provisions of the Istanbul Convention being in contact with local and international
NGOs and Civil Society in developing education and continuous programmes for the
elimination of all forms of discrimination against women making our contribution with
respect to better policies for women’s rights and gender equality.

We lobbied for the modification of Law 217/2003 regarding victims of family violence,
especially campaigning for a highly needed Emergency Protection Order in cases of
family violence.

The most important instrument for preventing discrimination is education and

training through continuous and updated information. AFR contributed by its
continuous education and training programs to the promotion of the fundamental
human rights and equal opportunities for women and men advocated for the
implementation of the European and the international mechanisms in the national
legislation and for continuously informing the public and the decision making actors
on the need to combat racism and discrimination, to facilitate access to education for
all minorities, especially for the Roma population.
One of the most important projects is its ANTI-DISCRIMINATION campaign!
It is a permanent campaign with AFRI TOGETHER and RNOFR Network of
women NGOs
The report starts from identifying priorities concerning the situation of Romanian
women at the national level in consensus with other Womens NGOs in several
meetings .
All the information received was captured in this presentation!

It is not hard to make great efforts of observation, analysis and interpretation to find
that, in a quarter of a century of change, the condition of the woman in Romania is
not at all envied. Although we have laws that guarantee gender equality in principle,
discrimination continues to work in all its plans, from social promotion and salary to
public mentality.
Romania remains a traditional country in which women are still discriminated, both in
terms of pay and limited access to certain professions, which are usually the best
paid professions.
Due to the transformations in the transition period, Romania has witnessed an
increase in social inequalities, a concerted action to combat deep-rooted gender
stereotypes that define the roles of women and men in society and influence gender
imbalances is important.
Discrimination against women in Romania has been particularly emphasized in terms
of blocking women's access to various levels, including politics!

There is the National Strategy for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, but
unfortunately little applied in practice!
What is about the national strategy for gender equality?

Why is this necessary ?It should have clear objectives, outline the role of public
institutions, and establish monitoring indicators as well as public reporting
mechanisms!

Previous analyses of gender policies in Romania have already identified important

gaps between gender equality legislation and policies, and their implementation.

This missing link is related to how gender or equal opportunities for women and men
were integrated into national policy and oversight.

Romania has signed and adopted a lot of international treties !

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

(CEDAW), adopted in 1979, was signed by Romania in 1980 and ratified in 1982,
and the Istanbul Convention (Convention on the Prevention of and Fight against
Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence) Adopted by the Council of Europe
in 2011, was signed by Romania in 2014 and entered into force in September 2016.
Beijing Declaration of 1995 and the Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on
European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community 2007 were
also signed by Romania

The state actors, which have to implement the relevant public policies on gender
equality and education, are many: the National Agency for Equal Opportunities for
Women and Men (ANES) coordinated by the Ministry of Labor and Social Justice, the
National Commission for Eguality of chances (CONES) coordinated by ANES, the
National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD), the Commissions for Equal
Opportunities for Women and Men, in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate,
coordinated by the Parliament, comissions in the County Councils and the City
Council Bucharest activating in the field of Equal Opportunities for Women and Men
(COJES) and not only .

But ,civil society feels the need for a more effective partnership in the benefit
of the community ,for respecting and applying the principle of
nondiscrimination

Last year, has re-established the National Agency for Equal Opportunities for Men
and Women ANES at the pressure of women's organizations,with a great intention to
be In dialogue with civil society, in order to achieve the objectives of the Government
Program - Chapter 9 "Respect and dignity for women",by recognizing the importance
of civil society involvement and involvement through NGOs and other actors in the
social economy.
The competence and mandate of the ANES
1. Equal economic independence for women and men
2.Reconciliation of private life with professional life
 3. Equal representation in decision-making
4. Eradication of all forms of gender-based violence
5. Elimination of gender stereotypes
6. Promoting gender equality

The women NGOs still waiting ANES to build a strong partnerships with them
because the ANES mission is Promoting Gender Equality and Preventing and
Combating Domestic Violence and we have a lot to do TOGETHER .

Identifying priorities: What are the major issues for women in our country

Information on the real situation of women

 Romania recognizes the equality of chances between women and men at the
level of legislation, but tradition still places the woman in a lower position than
the man. Unfortunately ,Romania ranks last in the EU and ranked 72th in the
world, according to World Economic Forum statistics when it comes to equality
between women and men.
 Women in Romania continue to be preferred in poorly paid jobs and sectors,
and their salary continues to be statistically lower than that of men employed
on similar posts.
 Half of the female workforce in Romania occupies poorly paid jobs:
administrative nurses, salespeople, low-skilled or unskilled workers. Data
provided by the National Institute of Statistics in 2013 show that women still
earn 8% less than men. In addition, women in Romania often face a refusal to
work because of their age, regardless of youth or maturity.
 Mobbing at workplace/sexual harrasment Although many women are
discriminated at work or in the recruitment process, few come to claim the
various situations of discrimination and harassment they face.!
 If we take a look at the Romanian Parliament, we notice that only 11.81% of
the country's legislators are women. On September 1, 2015, of the 383
deputies, only 53 were women and of the 167 senators, only 12 were women.
And in other key decision-making positions in important state institutions,
women occupy few places - out of 22 ministers, only 4 are women, and of 9
judges of the Constitutional Court, only 2 are women.
 One of the worst forms of inequality encountered in Romania affects women
who, due to the lack of a functional social protection system, have to stay
home to care for and support older or younger members of the family. This
makes their social and professional life difficult, restricts their freedoms and
opportunities, and leads them to depression, loneliness and low self-esteem,
many married women and domestic women have difficulties in balancing their
careers with family life. Many women in Romania take care of their own
household and household chores, as well as of raising children, as regards the
 care of the elderly, which is most often the responsibility of women, due to the
lack of an elderly care system.
 Violence and discrimination against women
Gender violence, especially among women, costs Romania 10 billion
euros annually, or 6% of GDP
-What legislation has the State enacted to ensure women’s equality in all fields
(political, social, economic and cultural fields)?

Romania has great laws in favor of women !

Law No. 202/2002 on Equal Opportunities between Women and Men This
is the key legislative tool and stipulates the following areas as priorities:
• Equality of opportunities and treatment for women and men in the labour
market
• Equality of opportunities and treatment for women and men in access to
education, health care, culture and information
• Equality of opportunities and treatment for women and men in decision-
making

Law No. 217/2003 on the Prevention and Sanctioning of Domestic

Violence
.Although the Romanian law recognizes the equality of chances between men and
women, the tradition still places the woman on a lower position than the man.
Although many women in Romania face discrimination at work or when trying to
find a job, few of them get to claim these situations !
Balanced participation in the labor market of both women and men - in terms of
employment, pay, promotion and participation in lifelong learning - is closely linked to
the family context.
Addressing this issue must take into account not only the economic dimension but
also the socio-cultural dimension in which gender stereotypes are perpetuated, which
most often lead to unequal distribution of economic and political power in society and
a limitation of women's access In different spheres of social life, for example, in some
professional areas considered to be "naturally masculine"
Access to material and financial resources, to education, to the labor market and
to decision-making is closely linked and influences each other, implicitly translating
The degree of democratization of the distribution of power between women and men
at some point

Great laws on the papers which still waiting to become realty !

-What is the situation with regard to the current mechanisms envisaged to

ensure effective participation at all levels of decision making by women and
girls, actions to increase the participation of women in political decision-
making and in public bodies;

There are specific intervention directions such as education, the labor market,
social life, gender roles and stereotypes, participation in the decision-making
process.
 The strategy has been developed in the context of maintaining gender
discrimination in society in the Romanian society and gender differences in access
to, participation and involvement in the labor market, at the level of social, political,
economic and cultural life

-Have the national development plans in Romania addressed women’s

development and advancement on a scale that is representative of the
population or women?In the national development plans (including poverty
eradication strategies)

40.3% of the Romanian population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion

(compared to 24.1% of the European average) 6 and the share of women at risk of
poverty or social exclusion was higher than that of men in the same situation (42.06%
and 39.42% respectively).
What we have to do?
Specific objectives consist of:
 introducing the gender perspective in formal and non-formal education,
combating gender stereotypes in the education system,
 reducing gender pay gap, encouraging reconciliation of family and
professional life,
 promoting gender perspective in social life,
 raising awareness of the principle of gender equality,
 balanced participation of women and men at all levels of decision-making,
 implementation and monitoring of indicators developed under the Beijing
Platform for Action,
 evaluation of the Action Plan for the implementation of the National Strategy
for by all institutions with responsibilities in the field.

But the vulnerable gender equality gaps identified in the strategy are low awareness
of public policy and media outreach policies, lack of coherent provisions on dealing
with complaints and complaints about gender discrimination.
These vulnerabilities are complemented by the threats posed by the economic crisis,
the dynamics of the labor market, the poor promotion of social campaigns in the
media.

-What percentage of the budget in the national development plans is geared

towards the goals for the development and advancement of women?
I think is not enough, anyway nothing to develop the NGOs activity
-There is enough of Re-introduce training on gender equality and anti-
discrimination ?there is buget allocated for this purpose?
Not enough, under pretext no enough funds for
-Do the national development plans include specific provisions for specific
groups of women in your country including rural women, indigenous women,
disabled women, migrant women, minority women, refugee women and
marginalised women in your country?
Too few allocated funds, too few specific programs
-Has the government involved NGOs in planning any of the above?
Limited dialogue between civil society and government !
 The dialogue between civil society and Romanian authorities is limited on
women’s issues and gender equality. Thus, there is a poor transfer of
knowledge from NGOs and academia to politics and public decision making

-Are there mechanisms in place to monitor the implementation of temporary

special measures and to measure their progress in accelerating de facto
equality for women?
There is a lack of transparency in the civil service ,among the issues raised in the
Romanian context are questions of corruption.
All about weaknesses in gender equality policies and in the national machinery !

-What has the government done to overcome negative perceptions of women

and stereotyping of women’s roles within the family and the society?

By acting to eliminate gender stereotypes, we act for equal opportunities between

men and women. Unfortunately we are far from this reality!
The way in which women are treated in many areas of the media brings serious
prejudice to their image and dignity.
One of the most important projects is its ANTI-DISCRIMINATION campaign! It is a
permanent campaign with AFRI TOGETHER and RNOFR Network of Women Ngos

-What policies or programmes is the government implementing to change

prevailing mind sets among the population?
It can not be said that we have completely eliminated from the social life inequalities
of opportunity and treatment, discrimination, intolerance, lack of understanding and
respect for the wishes and needs of those next to us.
Obviously, gender equality is a complex social process, determined in time and
conditioned not only by objective factors (of which the economic ones are the most
important) but also by subjective socio-cultural factors, of which traditions , Habits
and gender stereotypes are most prominent.
That is why we can only welcome any initiative aimed at bringing to the attention of
the public opinion the problems of women and proposing solutions to solve them.

- How have gender equality campaigns addressed the issue of stereotyping of

women and men and the roles that they play within the family and society?
NO more stereotypes of gender!
Because
- influences human relationships;
- are very strict and serve to maintain traditional gender roles, gender differences;
- due to their unconscious nature they are particularly resistant to change;
- due to the real pressure exerted on individuals, causes them to behave in the
prescribed ways that can have a detrimental effect on harnessing the potential of
women and men.

In the present society, many gender stereotypes are reproduced and transmitted,
which necessitates the opening of traditional, closed and outdated models, and an
education approach that is useful to individual development.
As early as the first years of life, the girls are dressed in pink, the boys in blue, the
girls' rooms are decorated differently from the boys, the girls are playing with a
certain kind of toys, boys and other genres, so children learn that the man is always
placed before the woman.
School emphasizes these stereotypes.
Predominantly female professions offer little chance of advancing into the
organizational hierarchy.
As for the professional formation, the young girls are oriented towards "typical
feminine" professions: hairdressers, hairdressers, shopkeepers, lighter courses for
office work, secretarial activities, nurses, etc., while boys are oriented towards typical
professions Masculine ": policemen, engineers, etc.
This typing implies an inequality: like the assistant woman of the male doctor, the
secretary woman of her boss, etc
NO stereotypes of gender !

Violence and discrimination against women in ROMANIA

Violence and discrimination against women and girls regarding women who have
been subjected to trafficking in human beings or gender-based abuses / violence; to
prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence, in line with the
Istanbul Convention; initiatives to address gender stereotypes in the education
system and in the media
Gender violence, especially among women, costs Romania 10 billion euros
annually, or 6% of GDP!
In Romania, in a society marked by violence, this phenomenon seriously affects
family life. In Romania, 1 woman out of 10 is affected by domestic violence each
year, regardless of age, civil status, ethnicity, religion or socioeconomic background.
In fact, a woman is beaten every 30 seconds, and about 1.2 Millions of Romanian
women know the violence in the family.

Ignored or officially unrecognized during the period of totalitarianism, violence has

not only been revealed, but has also grown nowadays, amid declining living
standards and increasing economic insecurity (the crisis).

In Romania specific detailed statistics are available especially for cases of violence
in the family. According to the Romanian General Police Inspectorate, during the first
six months of 2016 there were 9,000 cases of abuses and violence.
The Police recorded a number of 8,926 complaints of family violence.
Most of the victims were women (79%) while the aggressors are mainly men (92,3%).
During the same period there were 81 cases of rape within the family (36% of rapes
occurred in the urban area, while 64% in the rural one).
In 21% of the cases the victim is the aggressor’s partner, and in 44,4% of cases the
victim is either a son or a daughter, sometimes a step son or a step daughter.
All of these aggressors were men. It should be noted that these data refer only to the
reported cases.
It is obvious that the unreported cases remain unknown. The victims lack confidence
in the authorities while they are also afraid of the consequences they might face from
their aggressors after reporting the violence.
There are many associations and organizations which lobby for an Emergency
Protection Order which should be issued within 24 hours since the aggression. In the
period January – June 2016, 440 minors were victims of aggressions or abuse, out of
which 46% were boys and 54% girls.

-What can we say about good practices and initiatives taken to combat multiple
and convergent forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls,
If there is a policy or strategy to combat multiple and convergent forms of
discrimination and violence against women and girls
Violence against women is one of the most serious violations of human rights, in
Romania, a problem of entire community, concerning social and public health.
We must take action.
Because it's the only way to produce a positive and long-lasting change in the
mentality , in our society We must convince the women that it isn’t normal to be hit,
humiliated, blamed, isolated from friends and family, without access to money or not
be allowed them to take decisions concerning their life. And especially, it's not
normal for these things to happen in the family.
More serious is that more than half of Romanian people (almost 60%) tolerate violent
behavior in the family and even consider it justified, women are still beaten, even
killed!
Combating domestic violence and gender, there are also a number of NGOs dealing
with case resolution, victim protection and / or post-traumatic counseling. "In the
project" Stop the violence in the family ", we have taken into account the fact that
many victims have reported the lack of reaction of the specialists with attributions in
the field of preventing and combating domestic violence against the acts of family
violence, as well as their lack of information regarding the services can be accessed
by victims of intra-family violence
It is particularly useful to continue the implementation of information campaigns
targeting these categories of specialists, to prepare them in the sense of providing
the necessary information to guide the victim.
Romania ranks 7th in the European Index of Expenditure on Discrimination and
Violence, drafted by the European Institute for Gender Equality (IEEG)

-What legislation is in force to protect women against these forms of violence?

Law No. 217/2003 on the Prevention and Sanctioning of Domestic
Violence has been improved !

With the order of protection, the court can set several measures, there are about ten,
among them being not to let the aggressor approach a certain distance or certain
places where the victim is going.
In Law 217/20013, republished in December 2015 35% of homicides are committed
in the family
In 2014, there were some 250 protection orders in Bucharest and almost 1,900-2,000
domestic violence complaints. The following year, the number of crimes doubled, with
some 3800 and some of the family violence offenses and 260 orders of protection
That is why currently Women's Association of Romania in partnership with AFRI
TOGETHER develops a national campaign,, STOP Violence in the family ".

People who feel vulnerable to be genuinely protected by the protection order victims
are turning to these more drastic tools when I know they are degenerating domestic
violence and reaching alarming levels. When they get there and I can not
understand !.
There are people who make complaints and after they withdraw, the victim asks, only
she can ask the court or the prosecutor. The policeman is just investigating the case
for a particular offense.

Under the law that was amended earlier this year, the courts are required to deliver
this order of protection to victims within three days, or they are afraid to do so, on the
principle of "it is better to stand to endure." .

What are the obstacles to women accessing the law and how can these
obstacles be addressed? What are the measures taken to promote the
rehabilitation and reintegration of women and girls who have suffered
discrimination and violence?

Women have not been protected by corruption, It is far more difficult for a woman to
have a good and seif life, a good job, to build her career in comparison with men !
Because the situation is very serious currently Women's Association of Romania in
partnership with AFRI TOGETHER is developing a national campaign
,, STOP Violence in the family ".
Prevention is an important factor and therefore women should be offered the tools to
avoid becoming victims of violence. One of these tools remains continuous training
and education by organizing a series of conferences, workshops and roundtables
dealing with gender stereotypes and discrimination, combating the domenstic
violence
Every year, 25 November and the ensuing 16 Days of Activism against Gender
Violence which follow (ending on 10 December, Human Rights Day) are
commemorated around the world, providing individuals and groups a chance to
mobilize and call attention to the urgent need to end violence against women and
girls!So, our Associations used this opportunity to develop several activities to
sensitise public opinion and authorities about this phenomena .

Romania must build a society less violent!

We encourage women and men to work together and to involve the wider community
in order to bring about lasting change in attitudes and behaviours.

We try to convince women that it is not normal to be hit, humiliated, accused,

isolated by friends and family, without access to money or not allowed to make
decisions about their lives. Unfortunately, many of them choose to keep quiet!
But the pain does not go away if the women are silent

And above all, it is not normal for these things to happen in the family and in a
civilized society.

How strange is that 8.5% of Romanians think domestic violence is only for poor
families, and 15.3% think that it is only uneducated people, but according to several
studies, this is not true.
The worse is that more than half of Romanians (almost 60%) tolerate violent behavior
in the family and even thinks it is justified!
We need to change the mentality

Women prefer to keep silent and not to report any abuse when they feel and are
discriminated in one way or another. Fear not to be dismissed, to be out of pay, to
have problems later in your career and personal life, or to be seen otherwise by
condemning them to silence! What to do?
It is necessary to act TOGETHER to eliminate gender stereotypes, to act for equal
opportunities between men and women!
-There is a budget allocated for this purpose, as a state body to deal with this
issue?
We consider the budget is insufficient and is not allocated to associations dealing
with this issue for e.g AFR has conducted a national campaign to stop domestic
violence on its own support , with its experts and in some cities with local authorities.

-What other preventive and protective measures have been adopted by the
government to eradicate violence against women (such as training and awareness
raising to modify gender-based stereotypes and socio-cultural patterns of behaviour
that that legitimize, exacerbate or tolerate violence against women)?
How effective are these measures?

Most of these kind of mesures have been adopted in frame of some European
projects like Emergency phone, prevention guide etc
But unfortunately
 there are still not enough shelters, counseling centers,
there are not enough infrastructure and support services available for women who
are victims / survivors of aggression or abuses
 there are not locations for NGOs, where they would be possible to develope
an activity to prevent the violence against women , to educate community in
spirit of nonviolence , to give the support for victims of violence

-Are women able to access these services? What are the obstacles for access
and use of these services and how can these obstacles be addressed?
 There are few funds offered to the organizations of women for projects to
prevent and combat violence against women
 There is a need for education of women , support should be provided to
organizations being encouraged to take over and develop services for
victims, counseling aggressors, need to change mentality in rural areas
 Proposals and recommendations

 It is important the partnership public non profit become reality

 It is important to develop the support of nonprofit sector to NGOs

 Promote on media the informations relating to domestic violence, operating
within the meaning of preventive intervention;

 Raise awareness on the existence of domestic violence and the importance of

stopping the abuse;

 Increase the degree of financial independence for women and the personal
autonomy that will make less bearable and acceptable the partner violence;

 Increase the financial support offered by financing programs of NGOs of

women that carry out projects for the purpose of combating domestic
violence.

 combating the marginalization and social exclusion of women abused;

 social integration in micro and macro groups of women with a high degree of
social risk;

 strengthen the esteem of herself for a "woman abuse" and increasing the
degree responsibility and social commitment of herself

 It is also necessary to organize debates, workshops, exhibitions and other

actions whereby both public educational institutions and non-governmental
organizations can jointly promote human rights through interactive methods
and lead to change and / or mentalities formation, it is necessary to allocate
funds, for awareness-raising and information campaigns on, this issue should
not be missed online.

We need to create a world where women and girls are safe from violence
and exploitation, we need to align human-rights defenders, politicians, the
business world, and the diplomatic community around practical, creative
solutions. It is important the call for a public hearing,the involvement of
women movement , that would give enough time for implementation of law
related gender eguality and to prevent any discrimination against women

Together, we can overcome gender based violence and create a better

world for ourselves and for future generations.

Thank you for attention ,

Liliana Pagu
President of ASOCIATIA FEMEILOR DIN ROMANIA
AFRI IMPREUNA
July 2017 Geneva