MOLDOVA RESPONDS TO EXPERTS" QUESTIONS IN WOMEN"S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

Press Release
WOM/1232

MOLDOVA RESPONDS TO EXPERTS’ QUESTIONS IN WOMEN’S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

Moldova’s political will to move into a democratic, free market society with a social orientation should not be undertaken without the input of women, nor should it have detrimental effects on women’s rights or equality, the Vice- Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women told representatives of that country this morning.

While preparing for a market economy, women should be cherished for what they could contribute to the revitalization of a new Moldova, Hanne Beate Schopp- Schilling (Germany) said, as the Committee heard replies to questions posed last week on Moldova’s compliance with the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

When the Committee first took up the initial periodic report of Moldova on 21 June, experts expressed concern about the general state of legislation to enhance the role of women in all spheres of public and private life, and the need to eliminate negative stereotypes. Experts also asked Moldova’s representatives to elaborate on the engagement of women with civil society.

This morning, Anghelina Apostol, Moldova’s Deputy Minister of Labour, Social Protection and Family, told the Committee that Moldova hoped to move towards a democratic society in which all members enjoyed equal rights. Moldova might not have proceeded that far, but it was the aspiration of the Government to create a democratic society. Moldova had signed many international conventions, and that should be regarded as a trend for the advancement of women.

She said that almost all Moldova’s legislation was currently undergoing reform. The seven women in the Parliament had created a club, which was reviewing all draft bills from a gender perspective. Those women had often been able to bring about substantive changes to the laws, eliminating articles that contained discriminatory measures against women.

Moldova’s educational system was now the focal point of the Government’s measures to eliminate stereotypes, she added. The mass media was also playing an important role. A forum of some 20 non-governmental organizations had combined their efforts with women’s groups to sponsor seminars on gender equality, as well as organize other activities to raise awareness.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. Friday, 30 June, to adopt its report and conclude the twenty-third session.

Women’s Anti-Discrimination Committee - 2 - Press Release WOM/1232 484th Meeting (AM) 27 June 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met this morning to hear replies to questions posed by its experts on the initial periodic report of the Republic of Moldova. That report, first taken up by the Committee on 21 June, was on Moldova’s compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. [See Press Releases WOM/1226 and WOM/1227.]

Replies by Moldova

ANGHELINA APOSTOL, Deputy Minister of Labour, Social Protection and Family, said that Moldova hoped to move towards a democratic society in which all members enjoyed equal rights. Moldova might not have proceeded that far, but it was the aspiration of the Government to create a democratic society. Moldova had signed many international conventions, and that should be regarded as a trend for the advancement of women. There was a desire to accord all citizens the same rights as those enjoyed by other nations.

High priority had been given to several measures to improve the status of women in Moldova, she said. The goal for implementation of those priorities had been set for 2000. Some of those goal were meant to be implemented on an ongoing basis. One such goals was the elaboration of a concept for enhancing the role of women in public administration. She hoped that by year’s end it would be sent for the Government’s approval. Provision had been made for measures to set up a standing Government commission for women’s affairs. That commission had already been set up and was operating under the Government’s auspices. The work of that commission included reviewing legislation for gender issues.

Responding to a question on the relation between governmental and non- governmental organizations, she said that they enjoyed close cooperation in Moldova. A large number of seminars had been held jointly by the Government and non-governmental organizations. For example, the Government issued a publication entitled “The Status of Women in Moldova” with the cooperation of non-governmental organizations. In drawing up that report, representatives of government ministries, the academy of science, and non-governmental organizations were involved in that joint undertaking.

She added that in October 1998, a round table on an integrated approach to the principle of equality between men and women was held. Parliamentarians, Government and non-governmental representatives took part in the meeting. At the end of 1998, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Moldova organized a national conference on the subject of equality and development. At the forum, the Government introduced its main report on actions taken to enhance the status of women in that country. Another round table had been organized in April 1999, which reaffirmed the fact that the partnership between non-governmental organizations and the Government was an important part of tackling acute social problems.

In November 1999, a meeting of the commission on women’s affairs was held with the participation of different women’s non-governmental organization, she continued. As a result of that meeting, the commission declared the week of 15 to 21 November 1999 as a “week of non-violence”. That declaration focused the attention of society on the problem of violence, which had an impact on the general state of the population’s health, prosperity and development.

In response to a question on the participation of non-governmental organizations in the preparation of Moldova’s initial report, she said that while she did not know to what extent they had been involved in the initial periodic report, non-governmental organizations had been involved in drafting the oral report that she had presented to the Committee on 21 June.

Turning to a question on what the Government was doing to reform legislation to exclude discriminatory elements, she said that almost all Moldova’s legislation was currently undergoing reform. The seven women in the Parliament had created a club, which was reviewing all draft bills from a gender perspective. Those women had often been able to bring about substantive changes to the laws, eliminating articles that contained discriminatory measures against women. For example, an amendment to Moldova’s pension law was introduced to include the provision that the time a women spent caring for her child for up to two years would be considered a part of her pensionable work period.

Turning to the double burden of pursuing a career and running the household, she said that women in Moldova generally worked two and one half times as long as men. Consequently, women had about 6 per cent less free time than men. Unfortunately, Moldova’s current financial situation had made it difficult for the Government to provide women with benefits or any sort of financial support that would enable them to acquire labour-saving devices or other appliances in order to reduce the amount of off-the-job work time.

On the issue of debt, she said that pension indebtedness has been reduced. She hoped by the end of the year Moldova might eliminate wage indebtedness altogether. If that were the case, it would give the Government an opportunity to review current wages and perhaps increase wages or allowances provided for women, particularly those with children.

She went on to say that Moldova did indeed pay benefits to mothers upon the birth of a child. Under current legislation, working mothers received 10 days prenatal paid leave and 56 days of post-natal paid leave. In both cases, the mothers would be paid 100 per cent of their average salary. If there were any complications following the birth, the paid post-natal leave could be extended for up to 70 days. Following the post-natal leave period, mothers could take partial childcare leave during the next 18 months, if they wished. Allowances in such instances were relatively small, however, just a portion of the national minimum wage.

After 18 months, she continued, women were then allocated compensation intended for child-rearing, until the child reached the age of 16. If that child remained in school, that compensation would continue until the end of schooling. Again, the allowance was not very large and was based on a means-tested average. If the family income was larger than one minimum wage, a child would not receive the benefit. It was important to note that the benefit was available for non- working mothers. She noted that recent amendments had been made to unemployment legislation to improve the situation of benefits for unemployed women. Those changes would affect prenatal and post-natal leave time, and would allow unemployed women to receive all the benefits available to other women.

She said that Moldova’s educational system, from primary grades to college, were now the focal point of the Government’s measures to eliminate stereotypes. The mass media was also playing an important role, in that regard. She was particularly pleased to note that, at present, there was a forum of 20 non- governmental organizations that had combined their efforts with women’s groups to sponsor seminars on gender equality, as well as organize other awareness-raising activities. The country had also recently produced an “Anthology of Men and Women of Moldova”. This cultural directory contained a great deal of information about gender issues, health and education. The directory would be constantly updated.

Turning to the issue of violence against women, she said the Government was not currently taking any specific measures. Sadly, that was because women often did not often report cases of domestic or other forms of violence to the authorities, other than in cases of violent beatings. It was unfortunate, but true, that often the authorities did not always act as promptly as they should in such cases, or even ensure proper punishment.

Nevertheless, she continued, there were provisions that punished bodily harm, the degree of which would be based on the gravity of injury. Very often, however, violence was difficult to prove, since as a rule there were generally no witnesses. In that regard, the Ministry of Justice had proposed amendments to certain articles in the criminal code that would address the behavior of law enforcement officials and step up police training procedures.

Studies had shown, she said, that crime and the spread of crime, including breaches of morality, was generally affected by external factors. In Moldova’s case, those factors had been identified as the current economic situation, an increase in poverty and the inability to find work, particularly among the country’s youth. All that made the country particularly vulnerable to trafficking and prostitution. The women provided a prime target for foreign nationals who entered the country on the pretext of providing work outside Moldova’s borders, but were in fact procuring for prostitution.

In that regard, she said, in 1998 Moldova’s Parliament adopted a law amending and supplementing current criminal procedure. Prostitution and pimping had been specifically identified for increased attention. This year, in fact, law enforcement authorities had identified hundreds of known prostitutes, 34 of whom were minors. Also, Moldova’s “morals police”, along with the State agency for the protection of morality, had done considerable work in fighting the distribution of pornographic materials, including videotapes that were identified and consequently banned. The persons disseminating those materials were prosecuted. As a result of joint work with INTERPOL, the morals police had successfully returned to their parents 19 under-aged girls discovered working as prostitutes outside Moldova. There was also a special task force of police attempting to identify procurers.

At State frontiers and border crossings, she continued, automated checks were being introduced that made travel easier to monitor. The Interior Ministry also called upon all customs authorities to set up special machinery to track the flow of human beings. It was also important to note that treaties on social protection had been established with a few countries, mostly former Republics of the Soviet Union, to protect women nationals living abroad. Negotiations were currently underway to establish similar treaties outside those areas.

On article 7 of the Convention, she said that most legally employed women were members of trade unions. Unfortunately, the role of trade unions had declined in Moldova. Trade union leaders did not actively engage with Government bodies to solve problems, but used strikes to resolve problems. That trend destabilized the situation in the country. Trade unions were resisting the reforms taking place in Moldova. Women would do better to seek solutions to employment problems through non-governmental organizations. Many women’s organizations had achieved a great deal and were actively cooperating with the Government.

On the issue of the rights of minorities, especially in the area of education, she said that recent statistics indicated that there were 1,489 schools in Moldova and of that figure, 1,116 were Moldovan schools, while 266 schools provided education in Russian and others taught in Hebrew and other languages. At the college level, 78 per cent of colleges taught in Moldovan. Russian was taught in 21.8 per cent of universities. Instruction was given in Ukrainian at 72 primary schools and 4 high schools. The Bulgarian language was taught at 26 primary schools and 3 high schools.

On health issues, she said that from 1994 on family planning units could be found at all general clinics and hospitals. There were 60 such units throughout the country that engaged in preventive work and provided information about contraceptive methods in schools and educational establishments. Special courses to prevent venereal disease and teach healthy lifestyles had not yet been introduced because of a lack of funds. There had been a decline in some venereal diseases, including syphilis and gonorrhoea.

Responding to questions on education, she said that the Moldovan Constitution stated that education was free of charge at all levels. The fact was, however, that the private educational sector was rapidly developing in Moldova. In 1990 there were no private schools. In 1999, however, there were 20 private schools. Class sizes in private schools were smaller. Parents of students who attended private schools could afford to do so. At State-run colleges, courses were free of charge and the highest performing students received State grants. In recent years, very few textbooks had been published. Children were using mostly Romanian and Russian text books.

On pre-school establishments, she said that it was true that fewer children were being sent to pre-school programmes. In 1990, for every 100 places in pre- school there were 126 children. However, by 1999 there were only 66 children for every 100 places. It was not that there was a lack of facilities, but that fewer parents could afford to send their children. It was often cheaper for parents to keep their children at home.

On the right of single mothers to receive alimony, she said that mothers could receive alimony provided that the father admitted paternity. If the father’s name was on the child’s birth certificate, the mother could receive financial support. In cases where a father denied paternity, the mother could ask the courts to assist her in receiving alimony.

She said that the new family code provided for the equality of men and women. Child born out of marriage enjoyed the same rights as other children, except for the right to inheritance. If the parents were not married and the father admitted paternity, the child would have the right to inheritance, however. As concerns allowances granted by the State, it made no difference whether the child belonged to a formal family or a common law family. In the new family law, men could marry at the age of 18, girls at the age of 16.

On the issue of school closures in rural areas, she said that it was not the case that many schools were being closed. Schools were sometimes forced to close in the winter months because of a lack of heating. In that case, the school year would be extended into the summer. The situation had improved last winter, however, because of a donation of coal from the United States. When schools closed in the winter, they were entitled to use their paid leave normally reserved for the summer months. Teachers did not lose any wages.

She said that, according to health ministry figures, illegal births were a rare phenomenon. The process of informing the population on preventing pregnancy was now well-organized. Concerning abortions, there had been a decline in recent years. There had also been a decline in maternal mortality. As concerns harm to pregnant women from tobacco use, statistics on the danger of tobacco use had not been sufficiently publicized. The situation of women in the tobacco industry, particularly in the countryside where growing tobacco was profitable, merited attention. The State had an obligation to inform women of health risks, so that they could decide for themselves whether to risk their health and the health of their children for the sake of high wages.

In closing remarks, Committee Vice-Chairperson HANNE BEATE SCHOPP-SCHILLING (Germany) applauded Moldova’s presentation, but warned that countries in transition should be particularly vigilant to protect women against the persistence of older forms of discrimination and negative stereotypes while preparing for a new market economy. The Committee appreciated Moldova’s political will to move into a democratic, free market society with a social orientation. That task should not be undertaken, however, without the input of women, nor should the outcome have detrimental effects on women’s rights or equality. She urged Moldova to cherish what women had to contribute to the revitalization of a new Moldova.

However, she continued, the Government of Moldova might want to consider strengthening the national machinery for women, since that was often a strong suggestion of a country’s political will. That was particularly important for countries in transition, as it would provide a tool to guard against emerging patterns of discrimination. Moldova was, therefore, urged to not only review its current legislation, but also to adopt the country’s pending equal opportunity legislation. That legislation should clearly delineate the various areas in which discrimination occurred, as well as stress guarantees for equality in such areas as housing, employment and education.

She said that the new legislation should also specifically address the issues of violence and women’s political participation, with references to the “temporary special measures” outlined in the Convention. Only if such temporary measures were instituted would there be a mechanism in place to overcome persistent or subtle forms of discrimination. The first step, however, would be to raise consciousness.

Turning to education, she said that Moldova could identify specific time- frames and encourage women to pursue studies in non-traditional fields of work. That and other positive legislative changes could be accomplished without increased financing. The mass media could also be used to raise the level of awareness about women’s issues. The creation of an ombudsperson to deal specifically with equal rights was also suggested. Those ideas might be a signal to the women of Moldova of the country’s political will.

On the issue of persistent stereotypes, she said that as wonderful as such labour-saving devices as washing machines were, they were not the only answer.

She suggested that perhaps awareness-raising projects might be intensified among the younger generation of men to help combat negative traditions. As for Moldova’s textbooks, she said that even a bad text could be used to educate about an enlightened goal. Broad participation of non-governmental organizations was also encouraged.

Finally, she urged Moldova to monitor legislation on health care, particularly for unemployed women. While she understood the difficulty of maintaining a free health care system during times of economic struggle, it was most important to protect that precious guarantee, particularly in rural areas. It was also important to develop a life cycle approach to health care and, since the workers in that sector of the labour market appeared to be overwhelmingly women, their input would be invaluable in that regard. Moldova should strive to reduce abortion and make family planning as widely available as possible. It would be important to keep all those goals in mind, even if they could not all be implemented.

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