Facilities in courthouses are poor and in need of investment. N���������������������������� ����������������������������� one of the courts monitored has separate entrances or special waiting rooms inside the courthouses designed for victims and witnesses. Accordingly, victims and witnesses must use the same entrance and wait in the same corridors as defendants’ friends and relatives���������������������������������������� . This ��������������������������������� can be traumatizing for victims and witnesses��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ,�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� especially in trafficking and domestic violence cases. Taking into account the frequency of delayed and postponed proceedings, such uncomfortable waiting periods can be lengthy and repeated. Basic public facilities such as toilets and running water are generally not available to the public in courthouses, or are very shabby and in��������������������������� ����������������������������� dubious hygienic state���� ���������. 2.3. Organizational Shortcomings Monitors observed������������������������������������������������������������������������� shortcomings that preclude the normal functioning of the courts. One of the main shortcomings identified is the problem of delays and postponements. Data collected through the Trial Monitoring Programme indicates that delays are the rule rather than the exception�������������������������������������������������������������� . While we are not trying to present delays of under 30 or 60 minutes as significant in themselves, we shall see that they have a cascading effect that leads to postponements, which do have a significant effect on the conduct of trials. Table 8: Delays in the commencement of trial proceedings in courts located in Chişinău ( – positive change;  – negative change) Periods Monitored Courts located in Chişinău Supreme Court of Justice Chişinău Court of Appeals Centru District Court Ciocana District Court Rîşcani District Court Botanica District Court Buiucani District Court 30 Length of delay (in % of total cases monitored for each court) Monitoring period I, April 2006 – May 2007 Monitoring period II, June 2007 – November 2008 Monitoring period I Monitoring period II Monitoring period I Monitoring period II Monitoring period I Monitoring period II Monitoring period I Monitoring period II Monitoring period I Monitoring period II Monitoring period I Monitoring period II Monitoring period I Monitoring period II on time 0-15 min. 15-30 min. 30-60 min. over one hour 40% 46% 53% 49% 25% 43% 38% 42% 36% 49% 36% 46% 25% 56% 49% 18% 26% 13% 40% 34% 27% 43% 36% 34% 35% 33% 37% 26% 6% 15% 3% 12% 25% 16% 22% 12% 20% 13% 18% 15% 24% 13% 3% 9% 3% 7% 8% 6% 11% 3% 6% 3% 9% 5% 12% 4% 2% 12% 15% 19% 2% 1% 2% 0% 2 1% 2% 1% 2% 1%