The Roma population continues to be discriminated when it is about employment, access to education and social assistance and the plan of action for the support of the Romany people in Moldova for 2016-2020, which was approved by the Government, is not implemented at all, the Coalition “Voice of the Roma” said following a study that was based on direct communication with the Roma community.
In a news conference at IPN, the Coalition’s secretary general Marin Alla said that in the course of 2018, starting with February and ending with November, they analyzed all the reports of ministries through the angle of aspects of the situation of the Roma and also the reports of the local public authorities of 44 localities that are mainly populated by Romanies. The study showed the responsible ministries included in the plan of action do not fully fulfill their duties. The local public authorities also do not offer the ministries accurate information about the situation of the Roma.
Silvia Feraru, author of the report on the labor and social assistance segment, said the National Employment Agency in 2017 registered 1,599 unemployed Romany people. But the real figure is actually much higher. Those who want to become employed are offered a job that does not enable them to overcome poverty. No concrete measure was taken to develop entrepreneurship among the Roma.
As to local mediators, Valeriu Căldăraru, of the Coalition “Voice of the Roma”, said 30 mediators work in 30 localities due also to the efforts made by the Roma civil society. But 48 mediators were to already work by now. To improve the situation of community mediators, the central authorities should create an institution under the State Chancellery, which would monitor the work done by mediators and to which the mediators could go for consultations.
The Baron of the Roma Artur Cerari said the Government decision should not remain on paper only. “We do not want to be discriminated. The Roma had everything earlier, but now have to sell things to survive in winter,” he stated.
Another representative of the Collation Robert Cerari said the Romany people are citizens of the Republic of Moldova who have the same rights and obligations. “The policy cannot be good with a bad economy. A country cannot be rich with poor people in it. To change the state of affairs, the Roma started to work and show that they want to enroll their children at school,” he noted.
The Coalition “Voice of the Roma” is a platform that brings together 34 active Roma organizations of Moldova that represent all the regions of the country, including Gagauzia and the Transnistrian region.
