The Council of Europe’s Office in Chisinau has launched a project to strengthening diversity and equality in Moldova, as part of the Council of Europe’s 2021-2024 Action Plan for our country. William Massolin, head of the CoE Office, said the project aims to provide better protection for vulnerable groups against hate speech, with the participation of several national partners. The project will last three years and is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IPN reports.

Floris Van Eijk, head of the Embassy Office of the Netherlands in Moldova, said that another purpose of the project is to strengthen the legal framework, but also the capacity of law enforcement agencies to raise awareness of discrimination issues. Victims of these crimes usually do not report them because they fear the consequences. Even if such offenses are reported, often they are not recognized as such and remain unpunished. There are also no mechanisms in place to detect and prosecute such offenses, said Floris Van Eijk, encouraging the authorities to strengthen the mechanism for the protection of human rights.

Irena Guidikova, head of Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination at the Council of Europe, said there are three key ingredients that contribute to inclusion in any society: appreciating diversity as a resource, respecting equality, and interacting with people from different backgrounds. The project will also collaborate with local authorities, because this is often the place where inequalities in access to public services arise mostly. The project also aims to raise awareness among civil society.

MP Ana Calinici, member of Parliament’s Legal Committee, noted that Moldova is still working on ensuring equality and non-discrimination, and so Council of Europe’s assistance to improve legislation and all instruments in this area is appreciated. There is a bill, known as draft Law 301, which aims to ensure greater protection for victims of crimes motivated by prejudice and which passed first reading. And now the parliamentary majority agrees to further promote this bill so that it becomes a law.

Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, state secretary at the Ministry of Justice, says that the system of non-discrimination and of ensuring equality in Moldova has undergone consistent restructuring. In 2012 the Law on Ensuring Equality was adopted, a law that provides protection against discrimination in almost all areas. Nine years on, certain gaps have been identified which pointed to the need of further improving legislation. Such a bill is on the Ministry of Justice’s agenda.

Yan Feldman, chair of the Non-Discrimination Council, considers the project to be timely as pressure is needed to promote Draft Law 301. As amendments to the bill could involve financial costs, the Council of Europe could cover them as part of the launched project, thinks Feldman.