For the first time, dozens of teachers from Gagauz-Yeri region of Moldova were trained how to react when they spot incidents of violence in the families of children enrolled at the respective kindergartens.

The teachers learned to respond right away when they detect signs of danger and to refer the cases to the authorities that will engage in solving them. The action is part of the project “Addressing violence against women in the Republic of Moldova: exploring and learning from local solutions”, implemented by UNDP with the support of the Republic of Korea, IPN reports.

The village of Chirsova, a multiethnic community in Gagauz region, has two kindergartens covering approximately 400 children, most of whom are ethnic Bulgarians and Gagauz. Since September 2018, the institutions have kept a register of violence cases, and the teachers have been trained to detect the signs of danger in a child's behavior.

“The teachers act as a key linkage in the prevention of violence, due to their daily contact with young children. Following the trainings, the teachers now have a clear and effective violence reporting mechanism,” said Vitalie Frecauteanu, project coordinator at UNDP Moldova.

The pilot program is carried out in Chirsova, a locality with over 6,000 residents. The training benefited over 20 teachers. Similar trainings were offered to approximately 40 social workers in the region and to members of the multidisciplinary teams. In addition to the victims of gender violence, the future services will be accessible to all women from the neighboring localities, whose number reaches 20,000.