Hundreds of people use hotlines monthly to seek help

Hundreds of people every month make use of the hotlines set up by nongovernmental organizations and state institutions to seek help or advice. The issue was discussed in a meeting of the civil society’s Press Club, Info-Prim Neo reports. Nicolae Misail, press officer of the International Center “La Strada”, said that the Center received over 32,000 calls since September, when it launched a hotline. Most of those who phoned asked for consultancy about going abroad. The hotline was used by persons who intend to go abroad and by persons who were trafficked or their relatives. Nicolae Misail stated that a new trend in using the hotline is the reporting of cases concerning the security of using the Internet by children and the sexual exploitation of children. Such cases are reported mainly by parents and teachers. The number of calls to the hotline has decreased, but not because the phenomenon has diminished, but because it takes other forms. Denis Starus, chairman of the Consumer Protection Center, said that since 2002, when the hotline was launched, there have been examined over 14,000 complaints from consumers. The Center also represented about 300 consumers in court. In most of the cases, the persons complained about the quality of the goods and services. In the cold period of the year, the consumers complain about the rise in maintenance costs. Press officer of the Center for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime Angela Starinski said the number of calls to the Center’s two hotlines since 2006 totaled almost 4,000. Only ten calls of the total number concerned abuses on the part of the Center’s employees, while the others - cases of corruption in general. The persons often call out of ill will, complaining about rival companies. In such cases, the Center carries out inspections at both of the economic entities Angela Starinski also said that during the period of the Baccalaureate exam, the hotline is used by students and parents. The parents often want the students to get higher grades and offer bribe. If their children get a lower grade, they inform the Center, but nothing can be done already. Olesea Plotnic, deputy head of the Main State Inspectorate for Market Surveillance, Metrology and Consumer Protection, said that when the consumers file complaints they send persons to perform inspections. Those who call usually do not have legal education, while in many cases the persons are not interested in learning certain practices as they count on the hotlines. The meeting of the civil society’s Press Club was held within the Moldova Civil Society Strengthening Program.