“Safe Space” is part of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) program to respond to the refugee crisis and prevent gender-based violence. Such an area where first aid will be provided to Ukrainian refugees, especially abused, pregnant or nursing women, has been created at the train station. Moreover, on Sunday, November 6, the relaunch of the Kyiv-Chisinau, or “Victory Train” took place.
The purpose of the “safe spaces” is to provide a protective environment for refugees in the Republic of Moldova and to contribute to social cohesion between refugees and host communities. Until July of this year, UNFPA created 16 static Safe Spaces and four mobile #SafeSpaces throughout the country, the one at the train station being the 17th.
“It is the first and basic support that refugees, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and victims of violence, who have arrived in the Republic of Moldova, receive. They are given psychological support. We want to make sure that once they get here, they get help right away. In this sense, we also collaborate with Ukraine. Later, the refugees are redirected to local organizations,” explained the UNFPA representative.
In addition to basic services for refugees, UNFPA has also launched Romanian language study programs here to facilitate inclusion. At the same time, at least four mobile teams for women, young people, and the elderly were established in partnership with NGOs and local organizations, as part of the Humanitarian Response in the Republic of Moldova.
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At the official opening of the event, there were also representatives from the top management of the country, heads of diplomatic missions, and other CFM partners. The “Victory Train” is also an impressive artistic object.
The seven carriages of the set are painted by Ukrainian artists and represent regions of Ukraine but also the resistance actions of the locals. Each wagon contains a symbolic image dedicated to the regions: Nikolaev, Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. For example, the wagon dedicated to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was painted by Andrei Priseajniuc. The artist dedicated the painting to Bogdan Ziza – the young man who poured yellow and blue paint over the city administration building in Yevpatoriya, Crimea. On the wagon dedicated to the Zaporizhia region, the artist Serghei Turkinevich painted the residents of Energodar who, empty-handed, took to the streets to defend their country.