Authorities and civil society address refugees' problems

Moldova needs a law that would help the refugees to easier integrate into society. If these persons enjoy new opportunities, they will obtain economic independence and the benefits for the country will increase in number. Such an opinion was stated by the deputy head of the Ministry of the Interior's Migration and Asylum Bureau Ecaterina Silvestru in a roundtable meeting, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Ecaterina Silvestru, the refugees encounter difficulties in finding a job as the diplomas they got in their native countries are not recognized in Moldova. Octavian Mohorea, legal officer at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Representative Office in Moldova, believes the period after which the refugees can obtain Moldovan nationality should be decreased from eight to five years. In the neighboring country Ukraine this term is three years. Another urgent problem is the issuing of travel documents to refugees. There are cases when the refugees want to work abroad and then return to Moldova, said Octavian Mohorea. Vasile Batcu, head of the NGO “Save the Children” Moldova, said that the refugees make effort to receive education of a high quality and get a job. A number of participants in the meeting said yet that there are persons who do not want to learn the official language even if they can attend free courses. The attendees recommended amending the legislation and devising a program that would facilitate the social integration of the refugees. In Moldova, there are 71 persons with the status of refugee, including children. 60% of them are employed.