The right to life, the right to physical and mental integrity, the access to justice, the right to social protection and the right to health were the most violated human rights in Moldova in 2017. This is deduced from the number of complaints submitted to the Office of the People’s Ombudsperson, IPN reports.
In a news conference on April 2, ombudsman Mihail Cotorobai said the observance of the right to personal liberty and security is a major and rather old problem in Moldova. Preventive detention continues to be often applied. “We can speak here about a resonant case, of Andrei Braguta, who died in jail last year. We carried out an individual investigation and presented a report with a series of recommendations for avoiding such cases in the future,” stated the ombudsman. The investigation showed that in the period from the arrest until the placement in remand detention, the man’s minimum grantees against bad treatment were violated and the respect for human dignity wasn’t ensured.
As regards the right to a fair trial, the ombudsman made reference to a poll conducted last December for the Superior Council of Magistracy. This shows that seven years after the launch of the justice sector reform, 75% of the population considers corruption in the justice sector of Moldova continues to be widespread.
As to the right to health, Mihail Cotorobai said the people complain about the irresponsible attitude and carelessness of doctors. The case of Niculina Bulat revealed a number of problems in the health system. The young woman who was on dialysis died as a result of complications after the doctors referred her from one hospital to another without offering her the necessary assistance and attention.
The people’s ombudsman noted that both the system problems, such as financing of medical institutions, and the negligent attitude of managers generate serious violations of the patient’s rights. A recommendation is for the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection to become the founder of all the public hospitals in the country. This will help to optimize the costs in the health system and to efficiently manage the financial resources.
For her part, the ombudswoman for children’s rights Maia Banarescu said the problem of observance of children’s rights last year remained unchanged, as in 2016. The state intervened only occasionally to deal with problems related to children’s rights. “A number of campaigns to sensitize the public to the use of violence against children and sexual abuse were carried out last year. Currently, the number of cases of suicide among children is still alarming. The state should work out a set of policies designed to protect the minors in the online environment, where they face real dangers,” stated Maia Banarescu.
