CERD recommends Moldova to deal with racial discrimination

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) calls on Moldova to step up the measures aimed at removing racial discrimination, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The UN Committee recommends the authorities to identify the reasons for such a low number of complaints about racial discrimination, to actively help the victims of racial discrimination and to make sure that the nondiscrimination principle is not violated when tests for AIDS are done. It also urges Moldova to take measures to lift the restrictions on the entry or repatriation of migrant workers when the disease does not affect their ability to perform the necessary works,” Iulia Marcinschi, a representative of the Nondiscrimination Coalition, said in a news conference. According to Iulia Marcinschi, the UN Committee recommended introducing compulsory training courses for police officers, prosecutors and judges on the antidiscrimination legislation and the UN Convention and to guarantee the independence of the ombudspersons so as to strengthen their role in eliminating racial discrimination. Cristina Marian, a representative of the National Roma Center, said the UN is concerned about the continuous marginalization and precarious socioeconomic situation of the Romany people, who are discriminated in such areas as education, healthcare and workplaces. “The Committee also suggested extending the free official language studying programs, ensuring greater participation in the public life and working out a mechanism for guaranteeing the proportional representation of the ethnic minorities in the executive and the legal system,” Cristina Marian said. The CERD expressed special interests in the steps taken to adopt the antidiscrimination bill and recommended that Moldova should adjust it to the international standards. The recommendations were made following the presentation of the eighth and ninth regular reports on the elimination of racial discrimination by Moldova to the CERD.