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Moldova, Centrul Pentru Drepturile Omului din Moldova

Providing gender equality - a historical prerogative?

The culture and civilization level of a nation can be evaluated by the situation of women in the society. In the Republic of Moldova, with some minor exceptions, the role of a Cinderella is attributed to woman. The problem of gender equality has become more important than ever.

The Republic of Moldova has ratified the Convention on eliminating of all forms of discrimination against women, thus, making the first attempt to define, at the state level, the woman's position. Further on, this policy has been confirmed by Moldova's participation at the Beijing Conference. It was decided at the governmental level to promote a policy that would assure and guarantee equality between all members of the society.

The contribution of international structures is also of an outmost importance for the assurance of respecting women's rights in the Moldovan society In the general context, it is worth mentioning the activity of the United Nation's Children Fund, World Health Organization, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees- The UNDP-Moldova has offered assistance to our country for participation at the IV World Conference on women's situation, at the International Conference regarding population and development, at the World Conference on social development, etc.

Even though there are measures taken in this direction, the provision of gender equality has not yet become a priority in the state policy, due to the conservative position of the state, unfavorable to a woman, and of the public opinion.

There are laws adopted and structures created designated to support the efforts to improve women's position in a society found itself in a transition, but we face the situation that these laws are not respected.

The level of participation of women in the process of production is superior to the one of participation in decision making, for instance, on economic issues - (only 4%). Women have a smaller access to resources, credits, and revenues distribution- That is why there are so little women entrepreneurs in the big and medium business, while in the small business, women entrepreneurs make up 10%.

The Law on Labor prohibits women labor in the spheres of production with harmful conditions, limits woman's work during night hours, limits weight lifting, and provides privileges to pregnant women and to breastfeeding mothers. In reality, a woman, through the existent social circumstance, is exposed to a real turmoil.

According to the latest statistical data, 14.3 thousand women work in the areas that do not correspond to sanitary and hygienic standards, including 10.8 thousand women &#8212; in industry. 2.6 thousand women &#8212; in commerce and public catering, 9000 &#8212; women in other spheres. Specialists state that these data are, de facto, way too minimized.

To the Center for Human Rights of Moldova address their complaints women, who's rights are violated by not employing them because of small children they have, or women that are subject to violence in the family, women who are not promoted in their carrier just because they are Women have a smaller access to resources, credits, and revenues distribution. That is why there are so little women entrepreneurs in the big and medium business, while in the small business, women entrepreneurs make up 10%.

The Law on Labor prohibits women labor in the spheres of production with harmful conditions, limits woman's work during night hours, limits weight lifting, and provides privileges to pregnant women and to breastfeeding mothers In reality, a woman, through the existent social circumstance, is exposed to a real turmoil.

According to the latest statistical data, 14-3 thousand women work in the areas that do not correspond to sanitary and hygienic standards, including 10.8 thousand women &#8212; in industry, 2-6 thousand women - in commerce and public catering, 9000 &#8212; women in other spheres- Specialists state that these data are, de facto, way too minimized.

To the Center for Human Rights of Moldova address their complaints women, who's rights are violated by not employing them because of small children they have. or women that are subject to violence in the family, women who are not promoted in their carrier just because they are women- In view of protecting and promoting the rights of the women, creating a legal culture regarding the respect towards their rights the Center organizes instructive and educational seminars for the public officers, professors, leaders of women organizations, etc. There recently appeared a new publication of the Center "I am a woman. Who protects me?" which offers some practical advise for women regarding the respect of rights she benefits from, according to the legislation. I consider that in order to solve the problem of respecting the rights of the women there is a need to create a functional legal basis, as well as to change the mentality according to which the woman is Cinderella.
 

Interview of the PA correspondent with parliamentary advocate Mr. Mihail Sidorov on violation of the rights of prisoners in penitentiaries

We analyze with care each petition submitted to us. We have obtained acceleration of some cases examination

Cor. PA: Within the framework of the CHRM's activities your work is aimed at provision of human rights which comprise penitentiary, penal, administrative, economic and military aspects. Could you give us an estimate of the level of respect of the above-mentioned rights in the Republic of Moldova?

Mihail SIDOROV: This problem needs an adequate interpretation. Issues that we want to bring forward for discussion are of major significance due to the fact that there are a lot of people falling under the category of those in need of help, Addressing to economic problems we can state that miserable state of affairs in the industry and agriculture of the Republic of Moldova clearly demonstrate the fact that -we are lacking material prerequisites necessary to put the economy back on the track- There are no efficient economic programmes available. Payments to the budget are not executed. We have no material and financial resources. All these problems lead to social tension. Having analyzed petitions from the population, we can conclude that over 70% of these are of social origin: unpaid pensions and salaries, expensive communal services, thus - problems showing impossibility of existing in these difficult economic conditions. With regard to respecting the law of penal proceeding we have a lot of problems related to the activities of judicial bodies, in the first place - of the police and of the courts. We receive a lot of petitions from plaintiffs, in which it is stated that terms of civil and criminal cases' examination are not observed, that court decisions are not respected, that judicial officials are not always impartial in their decisions. When they do not listen to us in judicial organs, when we are denied additional information regarding civil cases' examination we conclude that there also exist problems relating to the respect of professional responsibilities by some bureaucrats.

Today the problem of keeping individuals in penitentiary institutions is a burning one. At present over 10.000 persons are in the detention institutions of the Republic of Moldova. How can we save these people who during the detention period find themselves in abnormal social environment, in unbearable conditions. Daily a bit less than 1 lei is spent to feed one prisoner. If there is no possibility for the latter to work in the period of detention to earn the living and even to support his/her family, the situation becomes drastic, nothing to say about the living conditions in these institutions with absence of central heating, lack of medicines, etc. Unfortunately, at present penitentiary institutions are hotbeds of grave diseases. That is why in order to protect these people we pay special attention to improvement of legislation in this domain.

Cor. PA: To what extent are you helping them?

M.S.: We meet with them relatively often. We visit them in places of detention, react to each separate case, try to help them. However, a lot of complaints fall within the competence of official organs, abusing power while fulfilling their professional responsibilities. The Center for Human Rights and the Parliamentary Advocates act within the limits of their mandates. We do not intervene in criminal cases' examination. We contribute in the field of human rights' assurance at every stage of the case examination. We do our best to ensure that as the result of our visits to the places of detention the prisoners benefit from conditions granted by the national legislation and international standards in this domain.

Cor. PA: Does the national legislation regulating these rights satisfy the requirements, or have you, in your activities, come a-cross the necessity of its improvement?

M.S.: TheRepublic of Moldova has a well-defined direction of activities in this sphere. Since 1995 we have been working on judicial and legal reforms changing legislative norms regulating these problems. At the present stage it is necessary to modify the legislation. We hope that in continuation we are going to work in close collaboration with the Parliament. We have the right to come up with proposals regarding legislation improvements.

Cor. PA: In your work you also deal with the problem of migration. It has come our of control of the state and become a real source of numerous social infringements and family tragedies. In connection with this could you please refer to the CHRM's programme of studies of the migration problem in the Republic of Moldova, initially scheduled for 1999-2000?

M.S.: The CHRM has elaborated a programme to study the problem of migration and emigration of the population of the Republic.

Moldova, Centrul Pentru Drepturile Omului din Moldova

Providing gender equality - a historical prerogative?

The culture and civilization level of a nation can be evaluated by the situation of women in the society. In the Republic of Moldova, with some minor exceptions, the role of a Cinderella is attributed to woman. The problem of gender equality has become more important than ever.

The Republic of Moldova has ratified the Convention on eliminating of all forms of discrimination against women, thus, making the first attempt to define, at the state level, the woman's position. Further on, this policy has been confirmed by Moldova's participation at the Beijing Conference. It was decided at the governmental level to promote a policy that would assure and guarantee equality between all members of the society.

The contribution of international structures is also of an outmost importance for the assurance of respecting women's rights in the Moldovan society In the general context, it is worth mentioning the activity of the United Nation's Children Fund, World Health Organization, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees- The UNDP-Moldova has offered assistance to our country for participation at the IV World Conference on women's situation, at the International Conference regarding population and development, at the World Conference on social development, etc.

Even though there are measures taken in this direction, the provision of gender equality has not yet become a priority in the state policy, due to the conservative position of the state, unfavorable to a woman, and of the public opinion.

There are laws adopted and structures created designated to support the efforts to improve women's position in a society found itself in a transition, but we face the situation that these laws are not respected.

The level of participation of women in the process of production is superior to the one of participation in decision making, for instance, on economic issues - (only 4%). Women have a smaller access to resources, credits, and revenues distribution- That is why there are so little women entrepreneurs in the big and medium business, while in the small business, women entrepreneurs make up 10%.

The Law on Labor prohibits women labor in the spheres of production with harmful conditions, limits woman's work during night hours, limits weight lifting, and provides privileges to pregnant women and to breastfeeding mothers. In reality, a woman, through the existent social circumstance, is exposed to a real turmoil.

According to the latest statistical data, 14.3 thousand women work in the areas that do not correspond to sanitary and hygienic standards, including 10.8 thousand women — in industry. 2.6 thousand women — in commerce and public catering, 9000 — women in other spheres. Specialists state that these data are, de facto, way too minimized.

To the Center for Human Rights of Moldova address their complaints women, who's rights are violated by not employing them because of small children they have, or women that are subject to violence in the family, women who are not promoted in their carrier just because they are Women have a smaller access to resources, credits, and revenues distribution. That is why there are so little women entrepreneurs in the big and medium business, while in the small business, women entrepreneurs make up 10%.

The Law on Labor prohibits women labor in the spheres of production with harmful conditions, limits woman's work during night hours, limits weight lifting, and provides privileges to pregnant women and to breastfeeding mothers In reality, a woman, through the existent social circumstance, is exposed to a real turmoil.

According to the latest statistical data, 14-3 thousand women work in the areas that do not correspond to sanitary and hygienic standards, including 10.8 thousand women — in industry, 2-6 thousand women - in commerce and public catering, 9000 — women in other spheres- Specialists state that these data are, de facto, way too minimized.

To the Center for Human Rights of Moldova address their complaints women, who's rights are violated by not employing them because of small children they have. or women that are subject to violence in the family, women who are not promoted in their carrier just because they are women- In view of protecting and promoting the rights of the women, creating a legal culture regarding the respect towards their rights the Center organizes instructive and educational seminars for the public officers, professors, leaders of women organizations, etc. There recently appeared a new publication of the Center "I am a woman. Who protects me?" which offers some practical advise for women regarding the respect of rights she benefits from, according to the legislation. I consider that in order to solve the problem of respecting the rights of the women there is a need to create a functional legal basis, as well as to change the mentality according to which the woman is Cinderella.
 

Interview of the PA correspondent with parliamentary advocate Mr. Mihail Sidorov on violation of the rights of prisoners in penitentiaries

We analyze with care each petition submitted to us. We have obtained acceleration of some cases examination

Cor. PA: Within the framework of the CHRM's activities your work is aimed at provision of human rights which comprise penitentiary, penal, administrative, economic and military aspects. Could you give us an estimate of the level of respect of the above-mentioned rights in the Republic of Moldova?

Mihail SIDOROV: This problem needs an adequate interpretation. Issues that we want to bring forward for discussion are of major significance due to the fact that there are a lot of people falling under the category of those in need of help, Addressing to economic problems we can state that miserable state of affairs in the industry and agriculture of the Republic of Moldova clearly demonstrate the fact that -we are lacking material prerequisites necessary to put the economy back on the track- There are no efficient economic programmes available. Payments to the budget are not executed. We have no material and financial resources. All these problems lead to social tension. Having analyzed petitions from the population, we can conclude that over 70% of these are of social origin: unpaid pensions and salaries, expensive communal services, thus - problems showing impossibility of existing in these difficult economic conditions. With regard to respecting the law of penal proceeding we have a lot of problems related to the activities of judicial bodies, in the first place - of the police and of the courts. We receive a lot of petitions from plaintiffs, in which it is stated that terms of civil and criminal cases' examination are not observed, that court decisions are not respected, that judicial officials are not always impartial in their decisions. When they do not listen to us in judicial organs, when we are denied additional information regarding civil cases' examination we conclude that there also exist problems relating to the respect of professional responsibilities by some bureaucrats.

Today the problem of keeping individuals in penitentiary institutions is a burning one. At present over 10.000 persons are in the detention institutions of the Republic of Moldova. How can we save these people who during the detention period find themselves in abnormal social environment, in unbearable conditions. Daily a bit less than 1 lei is spent to feed one prisoner. If there is no possibility for the latter to work in the period of detention to earn the living and even to support his/her family, the situation becomes drastic, nothing to say about the living conditions in these institutions with absence of central heating, lack of medicines, etc. Unfortunately, at present penitentiary institutions are hotbeds of grave diseases. That is why in order to protect these people we pay special attention to improvement of legislation in this domain.

Cor. PA: To what extent are you helping them?

M.S.: We meet with them relatively often. We visit them in places of detention, react to each separate case, try to help them. However, a lot of complaints fall within the competence of official organs, abusing power while fulfilling their professional responsibilities. The Center for Human Rights and the Parliamentary Advocates act within the limits of their mandates. We do not intervene in criminal cases' examination. We contribute in the field of human rights' assurance at every stage of the case examination. We do our best to ensure that as the result of our visits to the places of detention the prisoners benefit from conditions granted by the national legislation and international standards in this domain.

Cor. PA: Does the national legislation regulating these rights satisfy the requirements, or have you, in your activities, come a-cross the necessity of its improvement?

M.S.: TheRepublic of Moldova has a well-defined direction of activities in this sphere. Since 1995 we have been working on judicial and legal reforms changing legislative norms regulating these problems. At the present stage it is necessary to modify the legislation. We hope that in continuation we are going to work in close collaboration with the Parliament. We have the right to come up with proposals regarding legislation improvements.

Cor. PA: In your work you also deal with the problem of migration. It has come our of control of the state and become a real source of numerous social infringements and family tragedies. In connection with this could you please refer to the CHRM's programme of studies of the migration problem in the Republic of Moldova, initially scheduled for 1999-2000?

M.S.: The CHRM has elaborated a programme to study the problem of migration and emigration of the population of the Republic.