INTERVIEW The Republic of Moldova introduces fines of up to 2,500 euros or imprisonment for online violence. Co-author of the law: “It's a widespread phenomenon, unfortunately often unreported”

Online harassment, distribution of intimate images without consent or stalking are considered crimes in the Republic of Moldova, according to a normative act that will enter into force in February 2026. The victims will benefit from legal and psychological support, and the perpetrators risk fines of up to 2,500 euros or even detention. HotNews spoke with PAS deputy from Chisinau Marcela Adam, one of the co-authors of the law, about the normative act which represents a first for the Republic of Moldova.

• The law introduces the term “digital dimension of violence”, which is defined as acts of violence committed through information technologies or electronic communications;
• The new law states that abusers are required to remove abusive content and may be restricted from accessing the technology.
• Online violence will be punished with fines between 37-50 thousand Moldovan lei (up to 2,500 euros), hours of community service or even up to two years in prison.

– Can you define for us what is online violence, digital violence, under this law?
– Marcela Adam: It is the first time that, in the Republic of Moldova, in 2025, a package of laws criminalizing violence against women and, in particular, digital violence, was approved. And in this context, digital violence has been defined as a form of violence that can occur through information and communication technologies or electronic technologies.

– Can we also talk about violence not only against women, but in general, in the online space? Or is this more defined as harassment against women?
– So, digital violence or, as I said, violence achieved through information technologies involves different forms: harassment, intimidation, stalking, threatening, sharing intimate content without consent. Here, in particular, consent is essential: if there is no consent in the case of sharing intimate pictures or images, then we are already talking about a form of digital violence. Accordingly, all these forms fall under this general heading, the general definition of digital violence.

“In the European world this phenomenon was approached with the greatest seriousness”

– It's also about the threats from comments on social media, because very often in our country we start from a topic and end up attacking the person.
– Exact. Yes, sure.

– Is this a phenomenon that is being witnessed more and more often in the online space in the Republic of Moldova?
– Exact. I think that the problem is not only for the Republic of Moldova; the problem is worldwide. Especially in the European world, this phenomenon was approached with the greatest seriousness. Very clear directions have been set on how it can be reduced or how victims can be protected.

Respectively, in the context in which we tend towards European integration, we also tend towards adjusting and harmonizing our legislation. As a phenomenon, violence against women and domestic violence have been known for a long time.

Campaigns are organized against this phenomenon, year after year; the public is sensitized; learn about the different types of violence. But in recent years, indeed, online violence has become more persistent and raises many fears.

Unlike violence in the physical environment, where there were already provisions in the law, in the Penal Code or contravention, digital violence was not even defined. And now everyone is focused on building a much safer online environment for everyone. Because, as you noted at the beginning, all people, regardless of gender, are subject to violence.

Now we are talking about the 16-day campaign of activism against gender-based violence, and the focus falls on protecting women and girls, because statistics show that, most of the time, the victims of various types of violence are women. Accordingly, more attention is drawn here. But we do not neglect the fact that men and boys can also be victims. This is why it is important that victim protection mechanisms are in place for everyone.

– So as not to make a mistake, a clarification: is the notion of cyberbullying still defined here?
– Yes. It is a form; cyberbullying is also a form of violence. If we are talking about the actual law, Law 252, which provided several mechanisms for criminalization and protection against digital violence, then we are talking about the criminalization, or so-called criminal liability, for digital violence.

This means that this type of violence becomes a crime and can be penalized. And this includes: harassment, threats, distribution of intimate materials or images without consent. Persecution is a new crime, the so-called stalking.

It should be noted that many forms are known by their English names, and we must adjust and understand them in our legal context. Stalking is punishable; it involves repeated tracking or repeated, constant contact, when this online or offline surveillance has the purpose of intimidation. It is a form of online attack.

This awakens the victims feeling of fear, mistrust, anxiety. These types of violence have significant effects. If with physical violence we observe physical consequences, digital violence manifests itself especially in forms of psychological violence: anxiety, fear, nervousness. And these manifestations must put us on guard and not be overlooked.

“There was a time when even the police or prosecutors sometimes showed distrust, they are the influence of stereotypes”

– Very often it happens that these facts are done behind fake accounts. If the victim does not know who the perpetrators are, what happens? Were mechanisms thought out with the police?
– The concrete mechanisms probably depend on the level of law enforcement and the competent institutions, which will have the technical details of how identity is established. In online, traces always remain. A fake profile can be created from the same device, from the same phone, from the same computer, and this is a trace. I think there are several elements by which specialists can determine.

– Will it also be necessary to find a psychologist that the person is affected, that there is moral damage? Even domestic violence is sometimes not taken into account, unfortunately. What are the guarantees that complaints from victims who feel intimidated will be taken seriously?
– First of all, I would like to make a retrospective of the measures taken at the legislative level to strengthen the normative system in the Republic of Moldova, to come to the aid of the victims of abuse and violence and to sanction and rehabilitate the aggressors. Because we have two actors in this situation and each must be addressed appropriately.

In 2021, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova ratified the Istanbul Convention – the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. This convention has four pillars: prevention, combat, protection of victims and sanctioning or rehabilitation of perpetrators. Accordingly, the state institutions, based on the convention, must take measures to protect the victims and to strengthen the normative framework.

During this period we took several legislative measures. First, we created and strengthened the capacities of the National Agency for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. This agency is subordinate to the Government and aims to coordinate the efforts of all ministries and institutions that previously had separate responsibilities in combating the phenomenon.

In the field of social assistance, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection had an action plan to offer support to victims. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had its own dimension. The Ministry of Education – the part of educating the population and prevention.

Now, the agency has the role of unifying efforts and consolidated orientation towards eradicating the problem.

This year, the “16 days of activism against violence against women and girls” campaign, which has become a tradition in the Republic of Moldova, was organized under the auspices of the agency, creating a large manifesto in three regions of the country, Chisinau, Balti and Cahul, to convey a unique message to society about the importance of not overlooking the phenomenon of violence, of not letting people suffer in silence and in solitude, to inform that there are institutions that offer help, redline, social services, police – all available and ready to help.

It was a time when, under the influence of stereotypes and prejudices, even the police or the prosecutors, because if a case reached the judicial system, it went through all the stages, they sometimes showed distrust, which created revictimization.

The victims had to repeat their traumatic story, which represented a repetition of the violence. Several unified centers have now been created where victims, including those of sexual violence, receive medical, psychological and legal assistance in the same place.

There are, if I'm not mistaken, 11 or 12 such centers throughout the country. In 2023, the network was opened, and I participated in the opening of the center in Orhei. The Family Justice Center is now developed, the range of services offered to victims has diversified. The main objective is that the victim does not have to relive the trauma repeatedly; services are provided in a single, consolidated center.

In these years we notice that the victims gain more trust in the state institutions. There may be a false impression that more cases are being reported to mean that the situation is getting worse, but in fact it is the opposite: it means that victims are more confident and reporting.

Violence, unfortunately, is an extensive phenomenon in the Republic of Moldova, as in all countries, but it was often not reported. The causes of non-reporting were related to the inappropriate attitude of some policemen, lack of trust in state institutions, fear of the “mouth of the world”, prejudices such as “garbage is not taken out of the yard”. And many women suffered a lifetime, in silence. Through this agency and the services developed over time, victims gain more confidence.

“The abuser often takes advantage and forces the victim to share their location”

– So under the new law that comes into force in February 2026, a person who is repeatedly harassed on Facebook by the same person can report to the police that they have been the victim of online violence?
– There are several forms. By the way: last year or this year in the spring, if I'm not mistaken, there was the issue of that account called “CarVertical”, where pictures of women, denigrated, with doctored images, deepfakes, videos were discussed and posted without consent. If I'm not mistaken, 30,000 men were following that site. That is a form of violence.

I also remember a public case: a person had the courage to say online that he was being stalked and persecuted by his life partner and reported to the police. The forms can be different: the person can be tracked with technical devices, by phone, tracked when they leave the house, when they come or go from work, because the devices can show the location through applications.

The abuser often takes advantage and psychologically forces the victim to constantly share their location. I've heard of cases where the woman was tracked through apps on her phone. In this case, the person can ask for help and the specialists can disable the tracking apps.

The aggressors, according to the new law, are summoned to delete negative comments or posts with pictures without consent, they are obliged to remove the abusive content. At the same time, their access to technical devices or online technologies is restricted, in order to prevent the repetition of acts of violence.

Forms of online violence can be similar to offline. Economic violence, for example, can be both physical and online, especially now that accounts and cards are accessed electronically and the abuser can control the money. In general, know that penalties have been introduced. This type of violence is provided for in the Criminal Code, it is criminalized and this is one of the codes with drastic sanctions. In addition to large fines, it may include imprisonment, detention. And that should be a reason for bullies to stop harassing victims, whether online or in person.