A 28-year-old Roma woman who in 2015 was elected to the Rascani District Council shared her success story. The woman said that even if she met with barriers from the start, including with discriminatory attitude because she is of Roma origin and because she would be too young, she managed to achieve success. The councilor considers her duty is to help the women and children from vulnerable groups, IPN reports.

Laura Bosnea said her efforts as a local councilor started to produce results shortly after she was named to post. “After I became a councilor, 79 Roma children were enrolled at school. Now the streets where Roma people live are lit and there are garbage bins there. These can seem minor achievements, but I struggled hard to make these a reality,” she stated.

The young woman said she married when she was a student, but didn’t finish her studies as she gave birth to two children. Gradually, she became involved in dealing with community problems. “Being of Roma origin, I wanted to make sure that the rights of the Roma are respected in our community and I became a community mediator between the Romanies and the local administration,” stated Laura Bosnea.

The councilor intends to complete her studies and to build a community center for women and children from socially deprived groups. “I feel that this is my mission here,” she noted.

The UN Program “Women in Politics” is implemented in concert with two UN Women Moldova and UNDP Moldova, with financial support from the Government of Sweden. The Sustainable Development Goal 10 is aimed at supporting and promoting social, economic and political inclusion of all women, regardless of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, economic status, etc.