Localities with Rroma population majority will have ethnic Rroma community mediator

The Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family (MMPSF) proposed draft law that would create the office of community mediator for localities inhabited mostly by Rroma people. Anna Gherganova, deputy head of division within the Ministry, told Info-Prim Neo that the function was necessary to facilitate the Gypsies’ integration in society. The community mediator will be of Rroma ethnicity as their community mistrusts people of other ethnicity when it comes to social work, education, employment or documentation. “They don’t go to school, to doctors and this happens because they don’t trust in other people’s services. The community mediator will explain more to them and will assure their integration in society”, said Anna Gherganova. According to the initiative, next year 15 community mediators will be employed. Currently, the mapping of localities is underway in order to establish the exact number of Gypsies and to decide how many mediators have to be hired. The data about the Rroma community are contradictory. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there are over 24,000 Rroma in the country, while the Rroma Association claims figures of over 100,000. The draft amendment is being examined by ministries and it is planned to submit it to the Government at the beginning of October. According to preliminary estimations, the wages of a community mediator will be about 31,000 lei per year.