State of affairs in the area of equality and non-discrimination presented at the Conference dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Law on ensuring equality

Representatives of key institutions working on human rights, civil society organisations and associations that represent minority groups attended the conference dedicated to the 10’th anniversary since the adoption of the Law on Ensuring Equality. The aim of the event was to take stock of the achievements made possible due to Law, challenges faced by relevant institutions while implementing the respective law, as well as amendment proposals so that the law meets the current needs of the society.

Results of the Study on perceptions and attitudes towards equality, which is carried out every three years since 2015, were presented within the event. The Study was carried out with the support of the Council of Europe project. Data of the study shows that discrimination is on the 10th place among the most important problems that Moldova is currently facing. Top three problems are: 1) low pensions and wages, 2) increase of prices and 3) high level of corruption.

The study measured the attitudes and perceptions of the population towards different persons and vulnerable groups. According to the data of the study, 64 % of respondents would exclude LGBT+ persons from the Republic of Moldova, 60 % of respondents would exclude the Roma people. On the opposite pole, the least marginalised are people who do not speak the state language and people of Russian ethnicity.

The President of the Council for the Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Ensuring Equality (Equality Council) and the members of the Council presented the General report on the situation in the area of preventing and counteracting discrimination in the Republic of Moldova in 2021, which shows an increase of the number of complaints submitted to the Equality Council. The labour market is the area that amounts a quarter of the decisions issued in 2021, whereas discrimination in terms of access to goods and services available to the public reaches 18 % out of the total finding decisions issued by the Council.

“In 10 years since the Law on Ensuring Equality entered into force, the Equality Council created by this law, became a unique, distinctive voice of human rights, a voice which became known and heard not only in Moldova, but also in the world of the Council of Europe. Through its case law of about 1,800 cases and advisory opinions on about 300 laws, bylaws and draft laws, the Equality Council improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The Law on Ensuring Equality works, and it makes Moldova a better and more equal place.” stated Ian Feldman, the President of the Equality Council.

The event was organised jointly with the Council for the Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Ensuring Equality in the framework of the project ”Strengthening the capacities of the justice sector actors to deliver justice in line with European standards, in particular to fight discrimination in the Republic of Moldova,” funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe within Partnership for Good Governance II Programme (2019-2022).