Starting next year the electronic bracelet offender monitoring system will be operational nationwide

Justice Minister Alina Gorghiu said at a press conference in Focsani on Friday that from 2025, the system for monitoring offenders with electronic bracelets will be operational throughout the country and could be extended to other types of crime, not just domestic violence.

"From 1 January this year, we have extended the pilot project to 20 more counties, and from 2025 this batterer monitoring process will be operational nationwide. Of course, as Minister of Justice, I am very concerned to have this monitoring system in place also to combat the phenomenon of runaways. The government will allocate financial resources and purchase this electronic monitoring system so that convicted offenders can be monitored electronically so that they do not end up as fugitives. Today, when I am talking to you, the draft law that the Ministry of Justice has initiated on the extension of the protection order to all cases of violence and to all types of aggressors, so I repeat, not only in the case of domestic violence and not only in the case of family members, is at the final vote and I hope that by the end of February we will have this law voted in the Romanian Parliament", said Alina Gorghiu.

She called on victims of domestic violence to report any act of violence to the relevant authorities.

"The pandemic has led to a huge increase in cases of violence. It goes without saying, there has been a lot of staying at home, there has been a lot of pressure, there is an increase in the phenomenon. But at the same time, victims have also started to report more to state institutions about the crimes they are suffering from. If I could make an appeal to women in general, who are mainly victims of domestic violence, and not only, I would ask them to dare to report any act of violence to the competent bodies", said the Minister of Justice, according to Agerpres.

Translated by: Radu Matei