Roma women want equality. With this slogan, dozens of Roma women from both sides of the Dniester river marched in solidarity in the center of Chisinau to draw attention to the importance of their participation in public life, including elections. The women gathered at the event pointed to inequality in employment and access to education, domestic and reproductive violence, and the need to implement policies and programs to address community problems.
To mark International Roma Day, almost 50 Roma from the capital, the north, the Gagauz ATU and the Transnistrian region gathered in Chisinau. A procession was organized from the central office of the Moldovan Post Office to the Parliament building, calling in their voices for equal rights for Roma women.
The President of the Roma Women's Platform "Romni", Elena Sirbu, said that the event aims to raise awareness in the society on the issue of discrimination against Roma women and unequal access to public and political participation.
"The Platform of Roma Women is against violence, early marriage and other phenomena that are still taboo, including within the community. We will demand that Roma women's rights are respected, we will demand political inclusion, that public policies, which are currently in the process of being drafted, are consulted with the Roma women's community", Elena Sirbu said.
The Chair of the Platform expressed her regret because of the pronounced intersectional discrimination of the Roma community, including Roma women: "If a Roma woman has no education, she has no access to health care, because she does not have a policy, she has no job, she cannot be financially independent, and this circuit of vulnerabilities requires many comprehensive measures to improve the situation".
Olga Bitca, project coordinator of the Roma Women's Platform "Romni", emphasized that the main vulnerability of Roma women, apart from the socio-economic one, is extreme poverty, while not all Roma families are affected by it. Olga Bitca said that Roma women face illiteracy, including digital illiteracy, have difficulties in searching for information on the internet and in submitting forms.
Another problem is taboo subjects in Roma families, such as domestic and reproductive violence. In some conservative families the role of women is marginalized compared to others. It is important to show the next generation an example to follow, which differs from caring for sisters and brothers, as there are journalists, businesswomen and lawyers among Roma women," said Olga Bitca.
UN Women Country Representative in Moldova, Dominika Stojanoska, noted that her organization supports the Roma Women's March to draw public attention to the difficulties and challenges, as well as discrimination faced by Roma women both as women and as Roma.
Many Roma girls drop out of school, struggle to find work and support themselves, and face domestic and gender-based violence. UN Women advocates for a better future for young Roma girls, where culture, belonging, ethnicity and legal rights, including those enshrined in the constitution, are respected, Stojanoska added.
A Roma student from Otaci, Erica Radita, says she wants to continue her studies and become a doctor. "We want to have equality like all women, not to be discriminated against and to have a job, like all women have, to further our education," the young girl said.
The Roma community mediator "Shater na Dnestre (Шатер на Днестре)", Vasilisa Sandu, came from Bender to participate in the event in Chisinau. Vasilisa Sandu noted that Roma women face discrimination in employment. "Meanwhile, Roma women are planning to open small businesses. And compared to previous years, the situation has improved. There is a lot of work to do, but we are moving in a positive direction," Vasilisa Sandu concluded.
Among the demands announced at the protest are the need for specific policies and programs to address the challenges faced by Roma women, in particular access to education, social services, labor market, the development and implementation of diversity and inclusion policies in government structures, ensuring adequate representation of ethnic minorities, including Roma women.
