GPSA projects

Project: Improving Access to Justice with a Focus on Families Affected by Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence Project
Country: Moldova
Sector: Domestic violence and Gender-Based Violence Prevention
Executing Agency: East Europe Foundation (EEF)
Grant Amount: $500,000
Implementation Dates: May 2021-June 2023

Since the early 2000s, Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, has made significant progress in achieving inclusive growth and reducing poverty. However, in recent years, deteriorating external conditions and increased governance challenges have slowed growth. Simultaneously, the country has seen a decline in gender equality across economy and society, most evidently in the labor market. Moldova has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in Europe and Central Asia. Data from the “IMAGES - men and gender equality in the Republic of Moldova” study reveal that physical violence is present in almost 50% of participants’ families, and sexual violence in over 3%. Social norms related to gender are an important underlying cause of Domestic Violence and Gender Based Violence. This issue is compounded by insufficient public investments in domestic violence and gender-based violence prevention and the inaccessibility of actionable information about public budgeting.

The East Europe Foundation (EEF) was awarded a GPSA grant to improve transparency and public sector-civil society collaboration in domestic violence and gender-based violence prevention services by applying collaborative social accountability mechanisms in target areas and at the national level in Moldova. In this complicated context of rooted gender norms and power patterns, the project aims to pilot an integrated approach to change expectations by engaging stakeholders at local level, including most vulnerable and marginalized groups, as well as municipal service providers. The project follows an explicitly adaptive approach to adjust to local needs. This is done by implementing three components:

1. Build capacity for collaborative social accountability, including through the use of citizen report cards for gathering feedback on public services;
2. Implement collaborative social accountability mechanisms for improved domestic and gender-based violence prevention and treatment service delivery, including inserting gender indicators into the national-level citizen budgets, and identifying gaps in budgetary processes that impede efficient prevention of domestic violence and gender-based violence;
3. Improve knowledge and learning on social accountability in the Moldovan domestic and gender-based violence prevention sector and project management, by regularly monitoring the project’s operations and developing a plan for disseminating the project’s knowledge products to target audiences.

This Project is in its early formulation stage.

This Project is in its early formulation stage and no substantial lessons have been learned yet. Lessons will be added here once they become available.