Meet The Team
Mariana Buruiana is a technical advisor for the Te Doy Foundation in Moldova, where she supports the Family Justice Center (FJC) Chisinau. In this interview, she speaks about her work at the FJC, her past experience and current challenges in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
"You can feel overwhelmed when confronting family members with the stereotypes they reproduce"
Are you from Chisinau or did you move here for your job?
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Yes, I have been living and working in Chisinau since 2003. I was born in a village in the northern part of Moldova and went to school there.
What do you do at the FJC?
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From June to November 2023, I was the Local Program Director for the Te Doy Foundation, working on the project “Establishing a Family Justice Center in Moldova”. I was responsible for the leadership, management and strategic direction to ensure the programmatic and financial integrity of the project. We were a team of five people to prepare the first Center in Moldova, that prepared such holistic services: It provides victims of SGBV with all the support they need to obtain judicial support, to heal, and to restart their lives.
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In my position as a Technical Advisor, I now continue to work with the team of the Family Justice Center (FJC). Now, I am responsible for the operational and strategic part. For example, I assess which services work well and where improvements can be made. Therefore, we take into account all feedback from the people who come here. We constantly have to adapt to new and ever-changing needs. By working together as a team, we refine practices and enhance the quality of service.
Why do you like working for the FJC?
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I like the fact that I am part of such a dedicated and empathetic team. Also, the work requires you to remain flexible and responsive to the changing needs of survivors and the wider community. In this regard, we are constantly adapting our intervention strategies or developing new programs in response to new trends or challenges in the field of and SGBV, based on our case management and the experiences of the people who visit the FJC.
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I also enjoy any activities that concern raising awareness in the community. With the FJC team, we are often involved in outreach programs, workshops or collaborations with a variety of stakeholders and of course community organizations.
What is the biggest challenge in your job?
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The biggest challenge are harmful gender norms, stereotypes and misconceptions in society that fuel SGBV. There can be situations where you even feel overwhelmed when confronting family members with the stereotypes they reproduce, professionals with their misconduct and society with their behaviour.
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What would you like to see for the future of the FJC?
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I hope that we can create a safer, fairer community for all and continue to support SGBV survivors.
"Everyone needs to understand what SGBV is and that it can happen in their neighbourhoods too."
What is your professional background?
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Besides my work for the Te Doy Foundation at the FJC, I am also a member of the Women's Advisory Board for Sustainable Peacebuilding under UN Women Moldova and the Women as Agents of Change Action Network on Forced Displacement under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Before, I was the former Executive Director of the Women's Law Center - an organization working to promote and protect women's rights and contribute to the reduction of domestic violence in the Republic of Moldova. I was part of the team that launched the first National Analytical Study on Femicide in 2021. In 2022, I established a National Commission responsible for monitoring and analysing cases of domestic violence that result in the death of the victim or serious injury to physical integrity.
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For more than eight years, I also worked in the government sector, for example as a government advisor on social affairs and in the development of public policies and laws in the social sector. In the non-governmental sector, I managed programmes focused on youth rights and development, community mobilization, support and integration of vulnerable people, promotion of human rights and conflict resolution.
I was a member of the European Youth Steering Committee of the Council of Europe and a member of the European Center of Expertise for Youth, a partnership between the European Commission and the Council of Europe.
I have completed two Master's degrees - one in management and one in public communications.
What needs to be done in the fight against gender-based violence?
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Despite many efforts, the Republic of Moldova is still a country affected by gender-based violence in all its facets. According to recent statistics, more than three quarters of women (76%) consider violence against women to be a widespread problem, with 28% of them considering it to be very common. A third of all women surveyed personally know someone in their family or circle of friends who has suffered domestic violence. Just as many have met someone in their environment who has experienced violence. Although many women know that there are support services for victims, only a few actually seek help. 40% of women have reported that they have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from their partner or non-partner since the age of 15.
It is important to keep raising awareness on this issue and to up to date on changing attitudes towards gender-based violence. Most important is the message that everyone must show zero tolerance towards violence against women and children - the government, civil society and all anti-violence movements.
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It should be the government's responsibility to reassure women and children that their safety is a top priority despite limited resources. In addition, everyone needs to understand what SGBV is and that it can happen in their neighbourhoods too, so if something happens, they can respond appropriately. For example, it is important to know how to alert the appropriate services if they suspect that a family member, friend and/or neighbour has been a victim of violence.
But even professionals like our multidisciplinary team at the FJC and the entire chain of professionals who work with victims or the topic need to be trained continuously to stay abreast of the complex needs of survivors.
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Ultimately, it is a lot of advocacy work to make violence against women a priority on the national agenda. I firmly believe that advocacy at a political level can help address systemic issues that contribute to SGBV, such as gaps in legal protection or inadequate resources for survivors.
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