Equalize rights

A group of deputies of the Legislation Committee proposed amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses. Parliamentarians Galina Antyufeyeva, Oleg Belyakov, Valery Babchinetsky, Vitaliy Kalin and Oleg Petrik proposed strengthening measures to protect consumers in socially vulnerable situations, who have special needs related to their state of health, limitation of life, and age. This is about people with disabilities, the elderly and minors. There are times when employees of state or commercial institutions are inappropriately related to this category of citizens. For example, minors may be denied the purchase of goods, and a disabled person cannot receive any service due to the lack of a ramp or call button.

It is worth noting that work is underway in the republic to create an accessible environment for people with disabilities. The state target program “Equal Opportunities”, adopted for the period 2019-2022, is adopted by the Supreme Council. Its main goal is to create conditions for the free movement of persons with disabilities, as well as their employment.

In addition, disability-based discrimination is not allowed in Pridnestrovie, that is, the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of people with disabilities should not be violated. The Supreme Council adopted the relevant amendments to the Law on Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities in April 2018.

The parliamentarians who have proposed the law-in-draft aimed at protecting such rights of citizens, including the implementation of the Equal Opportunities program, consider it necessary to introduce administrative responsibility for the refusal of socially vulnerable category of citizens to access goods, works or services. An exception should be cases prescribed by law.  

Vitaliy Kalin noted that this problem was raised in the framework of meetings with voters. The parliamentarian added that often citizens do not fully possess legal information in order to file complaints with supervisory authorities that operate in cities and regions of the republic. There is a commission at state administrations for the protection of consumer rights. The parliamentarian said that no one restricts the right of citizens to apply to internal affairs bodies and the prosecutor’s office on this issue.

The law-in-draft on amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses will be recommended by the deputies of the relevant committee for adoption in the first reading.