What is domestic violence?

The first and most important thing is to seek help. Whether you call a friend or a family member, call the police or go to the hospital, it is important to seek help as soon as possible.

Call 112 (The single nationwide emergency number that can be called from all public telephone networks) or to the nearest police station. It is important to do this primarily for your safety but also to identify and catch the perpetrator. Calling the police as soon as possible increases the chances that the perpetrator will be identified and that the police will be able to identify the perpetrator and collect as much evidence as possible that can be used later in the criminal investigation.

The first and most important thing is to seek help.

Whether you call a friend or a family member, call the police or go to the hospital, it is important to seek help as soon as possible.

If you are the victim of such an act, call the police and file a complaint. Be aware that the incident must be reported within a maximum of 3 months from the date it happened!!!

It is good to have as much evidence as possible, such as witnesses, photos, recordings.

Discrimination is prohibited by law but unfortunately many persons are still discriminated in various forms. If you are a victim of discrimination, you should know that the law (mainly O.G. 137/2000) gives you several possibilities to ask for the sanctioning of the perpetrator, the restoration of the previous situation and you can even get compensation.

It is important to know that in some cases discrimination and even incitement to discrimination can be crimes, such as abuse of office, incitement to hatred or discrimination.

In Romanian legislation, there is no specific offense explicitly called "cyber violence." However, such behavior can be legally classified under existing criminal offenses when committed through information and communication technologies (e-mail, social networks, messaging applications, internal workplace communication platforms, etc.). These offenses include:

• Threats

• Blackmail

• Harassment (for example, repeated messages, either private or public, on social media that, due to their content or frequency, cause fear)

• Sexual harassment

• Child pornography

• Violation of privacy

• Violation of the confidentiality of correspondence

Revenge porn (the distribution of intimate images without consent, for the purpose of revenge or humiliation) is now explicitly regulated by the Criminal Code, under Article 226, paragraph (2^1), introduced by Law no. 171/2023. This act is considered a form of violation of privacy and is punishable by imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years or by a fine, even if the images were initially obtained with the victim’s consent.

The formulation of the preliminary complaint is necessary for the following crimes:

• Threat, harassment, sexual harassment, violation of private life, violation of the secret of the correspondent type, rape and sexual aggression.

• In the situation where the victim of rape or sexual assault is a minor, it is not necessary to file a prior complaint, only reporting or self-reporting to the police is sufficient.

It is important to make a complaint if you are the victim of a crime. In the cases mentioned in letter a), you must file a complaint within 3 months of the occurrence of the act, if you file too late, it is possible that the perpetrator will remain unpunished. It is important to know that the complaint must include: the name, surname, personal numerical code, quality and domicile of the petitioner, description of the act that forms the subject of the complaint, as well as the indication of the perpetrator and the means of proof, if known.

It can be filed at any police station or Prosecutor's Office, but it would be best to file the complaint at the police station/prosecutor's office in the radius of the place where the act was committed, as a rule, this will be the competent entity to investigate the case. Ask for the registration number of the complaint and possibly to be told the file number later so that you can track what is happening with your file.

Cyber/online grooming refers to the process of establishing an emotional connection with a person, typically under the age of 18, through manipulation, deception, or coercion for purposes of sexual abuse, exploitation, or trafficking. Predators can be acquaintances, strangers, or individuals encounter online. 

Grooming can happen to anyone, and it is never the victim's fault.