The launching event was attended by the Minister of Justice, representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and Elderly, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Agency for Roma, the National Council for Combating Discrimination, the National Agency for Equal Opportunities (ANES), the Ombudsoffice, the National Contact Point for Roma of the Ministry of European Funds, civil society and Roma organisations.
The JUSTROM programme is a joint pilot project that will be implemented by the Council of Europe and the European Commission in Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Italy, and Romania for the next 18 months.
it aims to empower Roma and Traveller women by raising their awareness about their rights and access to services, the justice system and institutions where their can lodge complaints against discrimination and other human rights violations including early/forced marriage, trafficking, domestic violence, housing evictions, police abuse and hate crimes. It will provide legal information, advice, aid and/or representation through setting up legal clinics in Ialomita and Calarasi and thus further facilitate access to court and court proceedings at national and international level, including when on probation or while in prison. In addition, it aims to enhance the capacity of lawyers and law enforcement in the application of anti-discrimination standards with a focus on multiple discrimination, gender equality and Roma and Traveller women. As a result, this programme aims to further increase the synergy and coherence between the institutional frameworks of the EU and Council of Europe, national Roma integration strategies and civil society.
It is an 850,000 Euros programme co-financed between the European Commission DG Justice (80%) and the Council of Europe (20%). After the launch event, the next activities of the programme will include training on non-discrimination for lawyers and the setting up two legal clinics in Călărași and Ialomița where Roma will be able to seek legal advice and eventually legal assistance for their case.