Romania is last in the EU and 72nd in the world in terms of gender equality according to a World Economic Forum report
Romania ranks last at EU level and 72nd globally in terms of equality between women and men, according to data made public by the World Economic Forum. While many women receive discriminate treatment at their workplace or while job-hunting, few report the discrimination and abuse they are confronted with. Discrimination is also a reality for the elderly and the disabled. In today's edition we will learn more about the Anti-Discrimination Coalition, a free online judicial assistance programme for people facing discrimination in Romania.
One of the most serious forms of discrimination in Romania regards the treatment of women. In the absence of a working social protection system, they make up the most vulnerable category. Women are often forced to stay at home and look after the elder or younger members of their family. This situation hinders their social and professional life, limits their liberties and opportunities and leads to depression, loneliness and low self-esteem.
Discrimination is a complex issue, affecting several categories of people, and the European legislation deals extensively with this phenomenon. Dana Ududeac, a legal expert specialising in anti-discrimination, says anti-discrimination legislation was translated into national law in Romania in 2000 under a Government ordinance. She told us that most people seeking help from the Anti-Discrimination Coalition often found it hard to define discrimination from a legal point of view:
"Discrimination has four key elements. It implies different treatment of people in similar or comparable circumstances based on a preferred set of criteria, such as ethnicity, religion, political views, etc, and which results in violating those people's rights. To start with, discrimination is assessed using various perceptions and attitudes, as well as via a phenomenon we call 'social distance'. One such question we would ask someone to assess discrimination is 'Would you sit at the same table with a Roma person?' Because they do not understand the phenomenon of discrimination, many Romanians believe they do not discriminate against people. At the same time, however, we notice that they put a great deal of 'distance' between themselves and other categories of people. In Romania, social categories that are mostly discriminated against include the disabled, HIV- or AIDS-infected people, lesbian and gay people and intravenous drug users."
The Anti-Discrimination Coalition, with ten affiliated organisations, took part in the drafting of the 2015-2015 strategy to combat discrimination. The strategy also benefits from the contribution of the National Council for Combating Discrimination and civil society organisations. Teodora Rotaru, who is responsible for public relations and communication with the Anti-Discrimination Coalition, explains:
"In the next few months, we plan to come up with a report entitled 'Access to Justice'. In this report, we will assess the efficiency of the current methods to fight and prevent discrimination and whether people find it easy to solve their problems in court or through the National Council for Combating Discrimination. The next step after drawing up the report is to approach the relevant authorities with a view to improving the legal framework and in particular the anti-discrimination practices of the institutions in charge. Anti-discrimination should be a goal for every minister and every body and institution that interacts with society, from the Ombudsman to the local employment inspectorates and the people providing training to professional groups such as lawyers and teachers, so that everyone should understand that each of us has the fundamental responsibility to ensure equality for all."
The Anti-Discrimination Coalition also has a website, antidiscriminare.ro, where people who believe they are victims of discrimination or who want to know more about discrimination can post their messages and receive basic legal advice or information related to their problem. Dana Ududeac, who is a legal expert on anti-discrimination, told us about two such cases handled by the Anti-Discrimination Coalition:
"One example involved the Accept Organisation, which defends and promotes the rights of the LGBT community, and took place at the screening of a gay-related film in 2013 at the Cinema Hall of the Romanian Peasant Museum. A large group of people voicing far-right views and driven by hatred made threats against the public and blocked the screening of the film. While looking into the case, we came across an interesting fact, namely that the more serious forms of discrimination are considered criminal offences. Another example involves a pregnant woman infected with HIV. In such cases, the World Health Organisation and the Romanian Health Ministry recommend delivery by C-section at 38 weeks of gestation. At the time, there was only one hospital in Bucharest where this type of surgery could be performed, but the woman was denied admission because of her HIV infection. She spent eight days in the hospital's hallway because the medical staff lacked the facilities to avoid the transmission of the virus, putting the lives of the mother and the unborn baby at risk. It all ended well and the woman received the medical services she needed."
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