Nearly 83% of the respondents of a sociological survey carried out by the Institute for Public Policy (IPP) said that there is discrimination in Moldova. However, this phenomenon is much lower on the list of the biggest problems of the country enumerated by the respondents, who are concerned mainly about the low pensions and salaries and the rise in prices.
In a news conference at IPN Agency, IPP director Arcadie Barbarosie said that over 45% of those polled said that discrimination has expanded in Moldova over the last five years, while 32% consider that it remained at the same level. “Almost 90% of the respondents believe that the situation as regards combating of discrimination hasn’t improved. This poll should be a signal for the politicians that things must be changed,” stated Arcadie Barbarosie.
56% of those surveyed said the widening of the discrepancy between the rich and the poor is a factor that led to greater discrimination. Among other factors are the loss of a moral value and the lack of faith in God as well as the fact that the Government does not have a firm position on discrimination. 17% of the respondents said that Moldova does not have laws to combat discrimination. Arcadie Barbarosie said this is an incorrect assertion as two years ago Moldova’s Parliament adopted the Law on the Equality of Chances, but the people do not know this.
As regards the most discriminated categories of Moldovans, most of the respondents consider that these are the poor, the elderly people, the people with physical and mental disabilities, the sexual minorities and the HIV-infected persons. As to attitude, 75% of those polled believe that the persons with mental disabilities are most often treated differently.
In the same news conference, Olga Bulmaga, division head at the Council for the Prevention and Combating of Discrimination and Ensuring of Equality, said the results of the poll were presented one year since the Council started work. During a year, the Council received 160 complaints and examined 11 cases of discrimination. There were issued 50 decisions and the existence of discrimination was confirmed in 40 of them.
Olga Bulmaga and Arcadie Barbarosie consider that the mentality in Moldova should be changed so that the people to not accept and allow cases of discrimination. Moreover, the mentality of some of the politicians who make abusive and discriminatory statements should also be changed and this can be achieved by exerting pressure on them through the mass media and civil society.
The survey was conducted between June 27 and July 8, 2014. It covered a sample of 1,070 people older than 18 from 84 settlements. The margin of sampling error is 3%. The poll forms part of the project “Efficient policies and mechanisms for combating discrimination” that is supported by the U.S. Department of State.
