The “Roma Women in Politics” Programme was launched in Chisinau
15 February 2019
„Roma women in politics” Programme aims to increase the number of Roma women that participate in the decision-making process at the local level. Thus, the participants have had the opportunity to know about the importance of being a leader and to participate in politics. Also, the women have learned about the process of creating working teams for the pre-elections period.
The international expert on Roma women’s rights, Norica Costache, has talked with the participants about success stories of women participating in politics in Romania, the Czech Republic, Norway, Spain and Italy.
Varvara Duminică, a community mediator and member of the local council from the Chetrosu village, Drochia district, has shared her experience of participating as candidate in the local elections in 2014. ” Despite the fact that I have faced discrimination and sexist behavior during these years, I have managed to attract and collect funds for the local initiatives that targets not only the Roma community, but the entire community,” has told Varvara Duminică.
„Roma women know not only Roma community’s problems, but the society’s problems in general. Therefore, Roma women should participate in politics to be able to make decisions and to bring the much-needed change in the country,” mentioned Irina Mihailenco, a young Roma woman from Crihana village, Cahul district.
During February-June 2019, 44 Roma women will attend three training sessions, will have a “homework”, will organize civic engagement campaigns for the Roma community and will benefit from mentorship.
The project will end with a national conference where will be discussed the results obtained and the difficulties that Roma women have had during the local elections.
This programme is part of the project “Support of the Roma women in the local elections from 2019”, implemented by the National Roma Center and the network of Roma women and girls “Romano Alav”, at the initiative of UN Women Moldova (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women), with the financial support of the Sweden Government.
UN entities involved in this initiative
Goals we are supporting through this initiative
