The National Roma Center, in concert with Amnesty International Moldova, held a flashmob meeting in the center of Chisinau, asking that the authorities take measures to stop the discrimination of Romany people. The participants in the event improvised the barriers that the Romanies encounter when they try to find employment or to benefit from medical services, IPN reports.

The Center’s head Nicolae Radita said that 90% of the Romany people are unemployed, while their children do not go to school. “The main problems we face are the possibility of finding a job, the access to education and medical services,” he stated.

Roman Cibotaru, one of the young people who took part in the meeting, said he was discriminated when he was a child because of the social prejudice. The teacher in the lower grades detached him from the other children by different ways. Now he has a job and is treated well by his colleagues, but many of the Romanies in Moldova continue to be discriminated.

Amnesty International Moldova executive director Cristina Pereteatcu said that by this event they aimed to sensitize the people to the fact that the Romanies are people too and they must be helped.

The International Roma Day is marked on April 8. According to the National Roma Center, in Moldova there are over 150,000 Romanies.