Moldovan Institute for Human Rights (IDOM)
The Moldovan Institute for Human Rights (IDOM) is a nongovernmental organization from the Republic of Moldova, which was founded in 2007 by a group of human rights experts. The major aim of IDOM is to contribute to raising awareness, promoting and protecting rights and liberties guaranteed by the national and international legal frameworks.
The mission of the organization is to promote democratic changes and to contribute towards attaining international human rights standards by offering premises and tools for legal and institutional reforms for the well-being of each individual and the society at large.
In this regard, the organization capacities specific groups – public service providers and beneficiaries concerning the application of human rights standards in specific areas, participates in drafting and evaluating human rights policies and legal frameworks, conducts training activities, carries out advocacy and information campaigns, litigates cases of human rights violations before national and international courts.
At the moment, IDOM is one of the CSOs that have been selected by Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency (Sida) for a systems based audit[1] as a prerequisite for core support[2]. Therefore, in February 2016, IDOM approved its Strategic Plan for the implementation period 2016-2019. Thus, the following five strategic areas were identified for 2016-2019 period, which are almost the same from previous years:
- Defending and promoting the rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS;
- Monitoring, defending and promoting the rights of persons with mental disabilities from psychiatric and psycho-neurological institutions;
- Lobbying and monitoring to prevent inhuman treatment in the pre-detention institutions;
- Litigating cases of malpractice (assessment of national and international legislation regarding malpractice and defending patient rights and reproductive rights);
- Internal organizational development.
The Strategic Plan and internal documents elaborated and approved by IDOM Administrative Board and General Assembly have improved the internal structure of the organization, as well as allowed a better distribution of responsibilities among IDOM staff. Within the organization, IDOM has been optimized in such a way that two internal programs were created that permit to divide the tasks per process: (1) Strategic Litigation and Advocacy and (2) Monitoring and Reporting. The creation of two internal programs led to optimization and effectiveness of personnel work. In addition, this process has led to communication and involvement of the entire personnel in all internal procedures.
The members of IDOM have contributed to writing reports on various human rights violations, followed by the analysis of the situation, analysis of cases, comparative analysis of national and international human rights legislation, recommendations for improving the situation addressed to authorities, such as alternative reports to UN Committees (UN Committee on Social, Civil and Political Rights, UN Committee for elimination of all forms of discrimination, UNO Committee on Torture, etc.), report for the Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR) of the UN Human Rights Council, periodic reports addressed to the agencies of the Council of Europe, reports addressed to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Human Dimension, Security Council), U.S. Department of State, etc.
Together with the Resource Center CREDO elaborated the Alternative Report to the 2nd Report of the Republic of Moldova on the Stage of Implementing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In October 2009 representatives from Moldovan civil society (IDOM and CREDO), presented the Report in Geneva before the UN Commission on Human Rights. Among other, the Alternative Report presents gross violations of human rights in mental health, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive rights.
In March 2011, IDOM had an important role in the elaboration and submission of the report for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland was focused on human rights violations in the field of discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Moldova, violations of patients’ rights, violations of the rights of people with mental disabilities and ineffective remedies for victims of torture. In this context, three IDOM representatives attended the 12th Session of the Universal Periodic Review during which the Republic of Moldova was reviewed for the first time by the UN Human Rights Council.
In 2016, IDOM also submitted a Report for the 2nd Universal Periodic Review. This time IDOM presented its own report, including two issues: (1) Fighting torture and ill –treatment in the pretrial detention places and (2) Persons with disabilities: deinstitutionalization and guardianship reform. IDOM also had a joint submission with other organizations working in the field of human rights, on the rights of persons with mental disabilities in the Republic of Moldova.
Also, in March 2011 IDOM presented its submission to the EU-Moldova Human Rights Dialog. The submission focused on human rights violations in the field of discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Moldova, violations of patients’ rights, violations of the rights of people with mental disabilities and ineffective remedies for victims of torture.
At the beginning of May 2011, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) examined the second periodic report presented by the government of the Republic of Moldova on the country’s implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The report reflected the progress realized by the Republic of Moldova during a period of eight years, starting from 2003, when the first periodic report was considered. The Moldovan Institute for Human Rights sent its own alternative report, and in addition to that one representative of IDOM was part of the civil society delegation, having a series of meetings with members of CESCR.
In the past, IDOM also coordinated the work of the National Council for Participation in the human rights and justice fields, and starting from 2011, IDOM was a member of the National Council on reforming law enforcement agencies, created by the President of Republic of Moldova.
In December 2009, IDOM received the highest award (fist place) for initiatives in the human rights field issued by the Government of the Republic of Moldova and UNDP (Moldova).
In 2010, IDOM was nominated and received a diploma at the category of Organization that has made the greatest contribution to achieving health rights among women in the context of HIV, during the ceremony „Red Ribbon Award” organized on November 30, 2010, for the occasion of World AIDS Day. The contest was organized by the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Moldova, supported by the UN Joint Team on HIV/AIDS and World AIDS Campaign (WAC) in Moldova. Moreover, during the ceremony „Red Ribbon Award” in 2011 one IDOM representative received a Diploma of Merit awarded for exceptional involvement and honors in the national response to HIV/AIDS during 2011.
In June 2017, IDOM has celebrated its 10th anniversary. Thus, on this occasion, IDOM received a Diploma of Gratitude from the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family for promoting and defending human rights and liberties. Also, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Anatolie Munteanu, offered a Diploma, thanking IDOM for the effort and good collaboration aiming at strengthening the system of defending human rights.
[1] Assessment of the internal management, organizational structure, management of operations and financial management and control of IDOM by the Swedish Development Advisers.
[2] Core support means general budget support, i.e. support to the overall strategic plan and operations of a CSO, including administrative costs.