The citizens should know the criteria of discrimination and how to defend the rights of persons who are subject to discrimination. The persons discriminated on grounds of disease (HIV/AIDS), ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation and age are the target group of the social project “Diversity and Equal Chances” that is implemented by the public association “Ab initio – pentru o societate prosperă” (“Ab initio  - for a prosperous society”).

“The project is designed to strengthen the antidiscrimination mechanism in Moldova by involving civil society,” project manager Simion Polishchuk stated in a news conference at IPN. The project is planned for a period of a year starting with May 2021. “The goal and objectives of the project are to facilitate the access of victims of discrimination to legal assistance in case their rights are violated and to raise civil society’s awareness of the phenomenon of discrimination,” said Simion Polishchuk.

The project includes activities aimed at ensuring cooperation with local public authorities, expert NGOs and other institutions by exchanging information – information seminars and acknowledgment for identifying persons who are subject to discrimination and for facilitating the provision of legal assistance for claiming rights. The project’s authors bank on efficient cooperation with the local public administration, including social assistance services, the police, civil society, and also with expert NGOs and jurists and para-jurists who interact with vulnerable persons who are discriminated on the aforementioned grounds.

As part of the project, the population will be informed about the phenomenon of discrimination by legal assistance, documenting cases of discrimination and enabling victims of discrimination to claim rights by notifying the Council for Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination.

The project is implemented with the assistance of the Council for Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Ensuring Equality in cooperation with East Europe Foundation and the Center “Partnership for Development”, being financed by the EU and is co-financed by Sweden in the framework of a grants program. The project presented in the news conference is part of a broader project titled “Advocacy for Better Protection against Discrimination”.