Directions of collaboration for the capacity of law enforcement authorities in cases of femicide and digital violence, discussed between INJ and ANPCV

The director of the National Institute of Justice, Ramona Strugariu, met on Monday, June 9, 2025, with the general director of the National Agency for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women and Family Violence (ANPCV), Viorica Șimbalari.

The main objective of the meeting was the exchange of opinions on the professional training of law enforcement authorities in the field of crimes motivated by gender bias and digital violence. The parties discussed the usefulness of developing a program to train professionals in the justice system to address the investigation and prosecution of bias-motivated crimes/misdemeanors, including femicide. The importance of an integrated training of all actors involved in the criminal justice chain – police officers, criminal investigation officers, prosecutors, judges and lawyers – in a coordinated approach that ensures a common understanding of the procedural and substantive aspects specific to these crimes was emphasized.

The creation of a body of specialized trainers, trained at the National Institute of Justice to ensure the cascading implementation of training in mixed groups was another topic of discussion. The dialogue also focused on the need to expand the programs to the civil domain, especially regarding disputes involving the parent-child relationship in the context of domestic violence. The relevance of awareness of the phenomenon of online violence and the specific protection measures for this type of aggression was highlighted, as well as the usefulness of a medium and long-term monitoring mechanism for evaluating the impact of training programs.

The meeting took place in the context of legislative changes on prejudicial grounds, the inclusion of the terms "violence against women" and "femicide", as well as the identification of gaps in the recognition and treatment of gender-motivated cases.