The mayors from 44 villages from all over the country are taking part in the first working meeting centering on the development of the network of community mediators in the settlements that are mainly populated by Romanies. They are trained to identify the community mediators and familiarized with the work of the mediator, IPN reports.
Nina Punga, of the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, said the mayors will be informed about the legal framework on the employment of community mediators. Under the regulations approved by the Government, the community mediators must be Romanies for the reason that they know best of all the traditions, customs and personal problems of the Roma.
“The community mediators will be selected by the local councils, while the salary will be set depending on the mediators’ level of education. A sum of 462,000 lei was allocated from the 2013 state budget for paying salaries to them,” said Nina Punga.
She also said that there were identified 15 mediators who will start work this year. By 2016, in Moldova there will be 48 community mediators.
Under the framework regulations on the organization of the work of community mediators, the mediators will work in settlements where there are over 150 persons. The mediator will be an intermediary between the Romanies and the public services that are provided at community level.
