The law that requires the restraining orders for victims of domestic violence to be issued within 72 hours after the request was adopted today by the Chamber of Deputies.

The law corrects a major problem in the procedure for issuing the restraining order, which, in Romania, comes to be issued, on average on 33 days after the submission of the request, a time unacceptably long for a woman who is forced to share the house with a violent partner. Moreover, this failure was mentioned by the Judicial Inspection of the SCM, in an assessment report of this legal instrument.

The law signed by Liberal deputy Valeria Schelean and numerous other Liberal deputies was adopted by the Chamber of Deputies with 307 votes for, one vote against and one abstention.

Simona Voicescu, Chairwoman of Necuvinte Association, stated that “today is a victory for all women. I believe that through this vote, an important step towards a society which respects their daughters, wives, mothers, grandmothers was taken. All I can hope for is, as of now, women who are abused to have more courage to leave unhealthy relationships. I meet up with women affected by domestic violence weekly and the inability to do justice and the genuine fear of what might happen in the time period before a restriction order is issued. Their statements were the engine that caused us to turn to our legal partner Tuca Zbârcea & Asociaţii for preparing the Explanatory Memorandum. I want to thank you all for the support, as well as Mrs. Valeria Schelean, in whom I found the openness and strength to fight eliminate domestic violence”.

Mrs Valeria Schelean, Liberal deputy, said: “I am pleased that today we have managed to come to the aid of victims of domestic violence with a provision to provide real protection to those who most need it. Issuing the restraining order within 72 hours will mean more safety for victims of domestic violence and it will encourage more women to resort to this legal instrument. I want to thank my fellow members who have answered my call and together with me made an united front against violence. I want to especially thank the Necuvinte Association and Mrs Simona Voicescu for their support in developing this legislation, without which we would not have managed this victory against domestic violence,” said Valeria Schelean, PNL deputy who introduced this bill in the legislative circuit.