news agency Infotag

ROMA PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF DISCRIMINATION

The Roma of Moldova claim that their rights are restricted, that they are subjected to discrimination, and that the program for the support of gypsies, adopted by the previous Communist leadership, does not work.  

Expert Ion Duminica of the Vocea Romilor Coalition told a news conference in Infotag today that yet in 2006 the Government worked out a Plan in support of gypsies until the year 2010, but the document had no mechanism of its realization.     

Duminica said, “We have carried out a monitoring of the Plan implementation and revealed some problems. Firstly, we see that regional authorities view us as people who cannot do anything except singing and dancing. Secondly, regional budgets do not have whatever allocations in support of the Roma people, while the central Government does not provide means for this, either”.   

Association Secretary Marin Ala mentioned among the basic problems, faced by  Moldovan gypsies, the absence of access to quality education and to medical assistance; unemployment; and absence of personal documents with many Roma people.

He said that the Roma Association of Moldova has repaired with its own means 15 kilometers of road, sent 250 gypsy children to schools, and helped 280 persons draw up and receive passports and other essential documents.

Ala said, “We are citizens of this country. We pay taxes, and contribute to the national economy development. So, why should we be restricted or discriminated? We know Moldova is in a financial collapse now, but we want our government to promote the solution of the Roma problems, too. We would like to request the State to not only adopt laws in our support but also to create realistic mechanisms of their enforcement”.  

Coalition Chairman Robert Cerari thinks that the official number of the Roma people living Moldova, nearly 14 thousand, is definitely underrated. He said, in Soroca town alone the Roma population constitutes nearly 10 thousand, and in Moldova as a whole – 250 thousand. 

Ion Duminica believes the Government underrates deliberately the size of the gypsy population because “less gypsies – less problems”.