The Law on Equality of Chances, called also the antidiscrimination law, is partially functional one year after it was passed. Jurist Nadejda Hriptievschi, of the Legal Resources Center, stated for IPN that a Council for the Prevention and Combating of Discrimination and Ensuring of Equality is needed to ensure the complete functioning of the law.

The council was to be constituted by January 1. Only two of the five members have been so far selected by a parliamentary commission set up for the purpose.

“The law is not functional. Only a part of it is applied now. For a law to start working, the people should be informed about it. This is the main task of the council, which must also initiate a series of activities aimed at preventing and combating discrimination,” said Nadejda Hriptievschi.

The goal of the law is not only to provide support to victims of discrimination, but also to prevent this phenomenon. Nadejda Hriptievschi said that this area for judges is also new. Thus, one of the aims of the council is to create an intermediary mechanism. When receiving a complaint, the council will be able to easier determine if it is discrimination or offense. “The people do not know how to prove that they are discriminated. They don’t know how to go to court,” stated the representative of the Legal Resources Center.

Polls show that many people in Moldova are discriminated, but they don’t know how to act and the council will help them in this respect, added Nadejda Hriptievschi.

Contacted by IPN, the head of the parliamentary commission for selecting the council’s members Stella Jantuan said that a new contest will be announced and, in several weeks, the commission will propose the candidates to Parliament.

The Law on Equality of Chances was adopted last May and came into force on January 1 this year.