Moldova: Roma Women Driving Change

Wednesday, 18 September, 2024

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IWPR

Institute for War & Peace Reporting

Roma women from across Moldova are being empowered to have greater impact as community mediators and leaders as part of a new project by a key IWPR regional partner.

Women within this community face significant challenges due to layers of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status, with this marginalisation evident in their disproportionate representation among victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.

The National Association of Community Mediators (ANMC), a key partner in IWPR’s Building Resilience in the Eastern Neighbourhood (BREN) project, has launched the Roma Women 4 Peace & Security initiative to address these issues. So far, ten Roma women from five Moldovan regions – who already act as community facilitators, promoting access to services for disadvantaged groups including victims of domestic violence and refugees - have been equipped with essential skills in human rights and public policy advocacy, as well as being briefed on the central role women can play in issues of peace and security. Romani-language training also covered IT skills and techniques for combating disinformation, crucial for the women’s role as community leaders.

The aim is to not only encourage and promote Roma women to become leaders in the communities where they live and work, but also to increase the inclusion of the Roma ethnic group in wider decision-making regarding peace and security.

Ana Maznic is a 45-year-old Roma community mediator from the village of Cinișeuți in Rezina district, just a few kilometres from the Transnistrian region.

“The impact of the 1992 war in Transnistria on women and girls is still felt today,” she said, “[but] it is only during the last decade that the role of women in the peace building process has been felt. Until then, there were no attempts and initiatives to involve women in this process. I still have a lot to do in this direction.”

For those from within the Transnistrian region itself, learning about the rights of women and ethnic minorities was a revelation.

Sofia Răducan, a 40-year-old Roma mediator from Tiraspol, explained that this lack of information was because “society is under the influence of Russian propaganda.

“Transnistria is an enclave between two states, Ukraine and Moldova, which want a future in the European family. I believe that the role of women in building peace and the dimensions of the solution to the Transnistrian conflict is very important. I will do everything, as a Roma woman, as a community mediator, to push this process forward.”

The extent of malign influence operations, especially ahead of Moldova’s October 2024 elections, also came as a surprise to many participants.

“I didn't even imagine how strongly we are influenced and manipulated by Russian propaganda,” Laura Bosnea, a 30-year-old Roma woman from the town of Râșcani who leads a local NGO for victims of domestic violence. “The great examples given by the experts made me pay much more attention to what is being transmitted on the Telegram networks."

In the next phase of the Roma Women 4 Peace & Security initiative, the trainees will organise sessions within their own communities on women's rights and security as well as assisting marginalised groups in accessing public services.

“These workshops were not just about learning—they were about empowering Roma women community mediators who are already making a difference within their communities,” said Tatiana Chebac, IWPR Moldova country coordinator. “Their commitment to advocacy and support is inspiring, and their active participation in these sessions highlights their critical role in driving positive change for the Roma community.”