Progress has been made in implementing the Law on Equality of Chances that took effect in January 2013, said experts of the Foreign Policy Association (APE) and of the Council for the Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Gender Equality. In an APE press club meeting staged at IPN, the experts said the implementation of this law is actually a continuous process and the qualitative benefits of this law will be felt in time.
APE executive director Victor Chirila said the Council, which is an autonomous public authority, examined a series of cases and pronounced decisions. In the period, the people found out about the mechanisms for preventing discrimination, more exactly where and how they can make approaches to be protected. The APE director gave a number of examples of discrimination, including on grounds of sex and ethnicity, which involved politicians, saying the reaction of civil society was a prompt one and this reveals significant progress.
APE expert Ion Schidu said those involved in the implementation of this law became more active and a change is witnessed in society. “Society becomes educated. There is educated tolerance and acceptance of differences. Among legal entities, there is promoted the principle of equality, namely of professionalism for promotion in different jobs,” he stated, noting that the implementation of this law is continuous.
Yan Feldman, of the Council for the Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Gender Equality, said that a number of activities had been staged in the period for players involved in the prevention of discrimination. For example, there were held training courses for those who run employment announcements websites, who themselves asked for expert assistance in learning how to prevent discrimination.
“The most important thing for us is for the people to know their rights and to defend them. It is important to have knowledge so as to protect your rights and to help others,” stated Yan Feldman.
The Foreign Policy Association, in partnership with the Council for the Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Gender Equality, aims to assist the employees of the Ministry of the Interior and its subdivisions to implement the standards stipulated in the Law on Equality of Chances. Within an assistance project, the APE and the Council launched a series of seminars in a number of districts of the country with the aim of helping the Ministry’s employees to improve their capacities to prevent and eliminate discrimination and ensure equality. The project is implemented with a grant provided by the U.S. Department of State.
