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To the Department of Penitentiary Institutions
and Non-Government Organisations

According to the press release of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions, on 12 February 2016, Chisinau Penitentiary No 13 hosted a group of children from Chisinau Children’s Resource Center.

The press release informs the public that “during discussions held with minor inmates, children understood the importance of freedom and realized that they have to study and have an appropriate behaviour in order to avoid such places in the future”.

Children, aged between 14 and 18 years, visited penitentiary’s cells and library. According to the social assistants and penitentiary’s staff, such excursions would be of an educative nature and are welcomed.  The press release also states that a new such excursion will be organized for children from families in need aged up to 14 years.

We believe that such practices are based on stereotypes and preconceived ideas related to children from socially vulnerable families and their predisposition to committing crimes. Moreover, when public authorities promote such messages, it perpetuates such preconceived ideas in the society. By doing so, the equality and non-discrimination principles set by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other International Covenants, as well as by legislation and Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, are violated.

Promo-LEX Association calls upon the representatives of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions and other public authorities, as well as Non-Government Organisations not to admit the continuity of such practices.

Promo-LEX Association and The Equal Rights Trust implement the Project “Strengthening civil society organizations from Moldova, including the Transnistrian region, to combat discrimination through advocacy actions”. This project is funded by the European Union and is co-financed by Soros Foundation-Moldova. Promo-LEX provides, under the Project, free legal aid on discrimination cases.