The Republic of Moldova passes laws that are needed to protect the human rights and ratifies international conventions in this field, but these laws are not implemented owing to the lack of political will or because of a shortage of funds or time, said the executive director of the Moldova Institute for Human Rights (IDOM) Vanu Jereghi. The expert was asked by IPN to speak about their expectations regarding human rights in 2014.
“It should be noted that we are at the start of the reformation of the justice sector, which I think is one of the most important pillars for defending human rights. We have a lot to do. The partnership with the EU is an additional reason for the authorities to adopt good laws and to follow how they are implemented. We have very good laws in certain areas, but they are not put into practice. The rulers should focus on the implementation of laws as well,” stated Vanu Jereghi.
The Law on Gender Equality started to work and Vanu Jereghi voiced hope that the authorities will show by deeds that the law was adopted not only because the EU asked this, but also because it is useful to the people. He said that those who opposed this law may also benefit from its provisions. “I expect more work to be done to maximally reduce the use of torture. I hope the rulers will have enough wisdom and will manage to eliminate this phenomenon,” he said.
Several years ago, Moldova ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The IDOM executive director said this is an important document as it provides guarantees for persons with disabilities and their relatives. But these people in Moldova continue to be stigmatized and they encounter even physical obstacles to their integration into society.
“They should have free access to work, to different services. Moldova is a champion in terms of ratification of different international documents, but it does not implement them. The authorities ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and after that realized how many things must be changed,” stated Vanu Jereghi.
He added that Moldova will soon have to report to the UN on the implementation of these conventions and harsh recommendations can be made when the report is examined. A longer period of time is needed for something to change in people’s minds and their perception of the persons with disabilities and with HIV.
