The Roma activists will attentively monitor and will take part in the implementation of the current national program to support the Roma population in the Republic of Moldova, which was designed with the participation of civil society, the responsible state bodies and foreign partners, so as to prevent a repeat of the situation of the last 20 years, when not much was done despite the good intentions. The message was transmitted in a news conference hosted by IPN.

Welcoming the adoption of a new program that covers the period between 2022 and 2025, activist Marin Alla spoke about the cooperation of the involved sides – the state, civil society, the foreign partners – in the working out of the program. “The program is designed to help the Roma feel better and be more active, to diminish the negative impact and the problems encountered by the Roma in Moldova,” noted Marin Alla.

The law says that any planned measure should have financial backing. In this regard, the assertions that in difficult times of crisis there is no money goes beyond the law. “The Government of the Republic of Moldova always invokes the lack of financial resources for solving the problems experienced by the Roma, while the implementation is the responsibility of the local authorities that have tight budgets. To cope with the difficulties, the Ministry of Education and the Agency for Interethnic Relations should gain access to development partners’ funds. If money is allocated “to the limit of the budget’s possibilities”, which is a formula that is often used by the authorities, we will be unable to break the vicious circle,” stated Marin Alla.

Schooling, access to high-quality education and social inclusion will help the Roma break the vicious circle of ignorance. The literacy of the Roma children also depends on their patients who need to be helped to realize the necessity of attending the school and also on the responsible state institutions.

For his part, Ion Duminică, secretary of the Coalition “Voice of the Roma”, said the entity endeavors to obtain the implementation of the provisions of the document that was worked out by the joint effort of the interested sides. “Until 2022, the Roma community was featured in five documents that were yet carried out only partially. We do not want such an approach that does not bring results to continue,” he stated.

Education is the sector that the Coalition will monitor in the first place. “They talk a lot about the schooling, inclusion of the Roma children. Conferences, seminars and other activities are staged but no progress has been made… The children should have access to school supplies, clothing, footwear, to two meals while at school, to meditation classes, to special attention from the teaching staff. Why? Because at home they do not have a favorable environment that would enable them to learn,” stated Ion Duminică.

To remedy the situation, the local authorities should change the approach. “In Soroca, Edineț, Otaci, Rîșcani, the schooling rate among the Roma is of 10% to 20%. The authorities blame the parents, while the latter say that they are close to the poverty line...A lot of children receive audience certificates, which can be called “illiteracy certificates”, when they graduate from the secondary school. These are of no use on the labor market and the holders are doomed to become recipients of social benefit,” said Ion Duminică.

In 2021, at the request of the Ministry of Education and Research and the Agency for Interethnic Relations, there was compiled an updated report on the mapping of localities that are densely populated by Romanies in the Republic of Moldova. In accordance with the systemized and updated data of this report, in Moldova there are 63 localities that are densely populated by Romanies, with an estimated population of 27,000 people of Roma ethnicity and origin.

 Note: IPN News Agency gives the right of reply to persons who consider they were touched by the news items produced based on statements of the organizers of the given news conference, including by facilitating the organization of another news conference in similar conditions.