UN Committee recommends Moldova to adopt antidiscrimination bill

The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is concerned about the situation of certain underprivileged groups of people in Moldova and recommends that the authorities immediately adopt the antidiscrimination bill, Info-Prim Neo reports. Early in May, the UN Committee examined the second report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, presented by the Government of Moldova. The report describes the progress made by Moldova during eight years, starting with 2003, when there was examined the first regular report. Under the set procedures, representatives of Moldova’s civil society, including members of the Human Rights Resource Group, send alternative reports. “In the meetings with members of the UN Committee, there were presented systemic situations and individual cases of violation of the rights guaranteed by the International Covenant, especially as regards the level of poverty, discrimination of the sexual minorities and Roma people, violation of the rights of the persons living with HIV/AIDS and of the persons with disabilities. The problems identified by the representatives of civil society were supported by videos and photos,” secretary of the Human Rights Resource Group Sergiu Rusanovschi said in a news conference on May 26. He also said that the members of the UN Committee put a series of questions to the representatives of the authorities and expressed their concern about domestic violence, the high jobless rate, especially among women and young people, and the situation of the deprived groups of people. They also spoke about other important problems, including the access to drinking water and sewerage, to medical assistance, especially in rural areas, and to education, the situation of the Romani people, etc. The UN Committee insistently recommended that Moldova should fully implement the reform of the residential childcare system, with special emphasis on the reintegration of the children with disabilities, said Sergiu Rusanovschi. According to him, the Committee is deeply concerned about the high number of institutionalized children and the lack of measures aimed at combating the effects of parents’ migration on the children left behind. Iulia Marcinschi, secretary of the Nondiscrimination Coalition, said that one of the most important recommendations made by the UN Committee was, however, to adopt the antidiscrimination bill as this would solve many problems. The civil society delegation consisted of representatives of the Legal Resources Center, the Nondiscrimination Coalition, the National Roma Center, the center “Speranta” (“Hope”), HelpAge International, the Moldova Institute for Human Rights (IDOM), the Human Rights Information Center, and the Human Rights Resource Group. They were supported by the UN Office in Moldova and the Law Program of Soros Foundation Moldova. Moldova ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by a Parliament decision of July 28, 1990. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was constituted on the basis of the International Covenant.