[JURIST] An independent UN human rights expert on Friday urge [press release] Moldovan authorities to adopt regulations that allow for greater inclusion for those with disabilities and Romas into society. UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights [official website], Magdalena Sepulveda, recently finished a fact finding mission in Moldova. Sepulveda highlighted the need to improve the access to mandatory education for children with disabilities as well as Romani [AI backgrounder; JURIST news archive] children. While Sepulveda noted that Moldova has remained committed to improving its legal system, she emphasized the need for continued improvement in terms of implementing new laws. She further called for more to be done to end the discrimination of the Romani people that contributes to their high poverty rates. In accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Sepulveda encouraged reforms to guardianship and adult deinstitutionalization programs. The complete report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council next June.

Moldova’s human rights record has come into question recently. In July Amnesty International Moldova (AI) [advocacy website, in Romanian] condemned [JURIST report] Moldova’s chemical castration law. In June the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) [official website] ruled [JURIST report] Moldova gay protest ban violated the right to protest. The rights of the Romani people have also been controversial. In April aUN rights expert urged [JURIST report] EU member states to do more to ensure that Roma peoples receive the support necessary to fully enjoy all their basic human rights. Then in May the UN Working Group on discrimination against women in law and in practice urged [JURIST report] the Moldovan government to adopt a comprehensive anti-discrimination law.