ROMANIA

Government
Romania, formerly ruled by Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu until the fall of the Soviet Block in 1989, is a constitutional democracy with a multiparty, bicameral parliamentary system. The population is 22.3 million (UN, 2003) and Romanian is the major language. The Communists dominated politics until 1996, when a center-right party won the elections. For the next four years, Romania struggled through political feuding and three different governments. In 2000, elections brought the Communist party back into power. The current President, Ion Iliescu, supports a market economy, while still espousing strong Communist policies elsewhere. The elections were considered by international observers to be both fair and free. Prime Minister Adrian Nastase is the Head of Government, and President Ion Iliescu is the Head of State. Under the Romanian constitution, the judiciary is supposed to be independent of other government bodies, but the executive branch holds considerable influence over it at the present. The constitution stipulates that the Parliament is the "supreme representative body and sole legislative authority of the country." The President may force emergency ordinances through at any time, with retrospective Parliamentary approval.

Economy
Romania is considered one of Europe's poorer countries. Its markets still suffer from decades of communist rule, and the average annual income is 1,720 USD. Over 45 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, often earning less than 1 USD a day. Infant mortality is the highest in all of Europe, at 18.6 per 1000 births. However, since the 2000 elections, exports and trade have made modest improvements. Corruption is one of the major causes of the stagnant economy, according to the 2001 Freedom House Report on Romania. In 2001, members of parliament collectively held a higher number of private corporations than the number of seats in parliament.

Media and Human Rights
Freedom of expression is upheld by Romania's 1991 constitution, but all 'defamation of the country' is prohibited. There are at least 100 private local FM radio stations and several large TV broadcasting stations. Romanians have access to a variety of European and American stations. Human rights abuses, while on the decline, are still widespread. There are particular concerns of police brutality against ethnic and cultural minorities, such as Roma and homosexuals. The constitution guarantees the rights of freedom and security, but many human rights organizations have reported police beatings and unwarranted detentions. In a few cases, including one Roma child, deaths due to police brutality were reported.

Gender Issues
Despite the January 30, 2002 repeal of Article 200, which incriminated same-sex relationships, discrimination against the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) community persists. The discrimination faced by this group can range from loss of jobs to denial of health care, and there are no current remedies for victims to seek redress for their losses. According the a 2000 Open Society Report, 80 percent of respondents claim that they do not want LGBT individuals as their neighbors, and 59 percent do not consider them 'normal' human beings. Lesbian women face double discrimination when looking for a job or housing - discrimination as women and discrimination based on their sexual orientation. Many hide their sexual identity in an attempt to avoid such discrimination. According to ACCEPT, a national LGBT support and advocacy organization, many LGBT individuals are denied access to shops and other social venues due to their 'corrupt behavior.'

On May 8, 2002 the Romanian government passed the Equality for Women and Men Act, which prohibits all forms of discrimination based on gender. While this is a step in the right direction, women's rights organizations claim the Act is not enough to combat abuse in the workplace. In a UN survey done in fall 2002, over 30 percent of women claimed to be physically abused on the job. In general, women who do have jobs lose them to male counterparts during times of high unemployment. Thus, women make up the majority of the jobless in Romania. In addition, victims of domestic violence receive minimal, if any, support from law enforcement officers or government agencies. There are currently no laws prohibiting spousal abuse or spousal rape. In order to prosecute the offender, an alleged rape victim needs a medical certificate and at least one witness other than the victim. A law allowing abusers to escape punishment if they married their victims has only recently been repealed. There are few places to which women seeking to escape an abusive husband can go. In many cases, women do not attempt to leave their husbands because it is almost certain that child custody will be awarded to the husband and his family.

Like Lesbian women, Roma women also face double discrimination in Romania - discrimination from Romanians due to their ethnicity and discrimination within the Roma community based on traditional Roma views of women. Romania's estimated 1.2 million Roma are routinely denied access to shops, health care, school enrollment, and housing. The Romanian government established a Protocol to address discrimination against Roma. Under this Protocol, the National Council on Combating Discrimination was established on July 31, 2002. Roma experts and representatives were appointed to work under this new National Strategy. Obstacles facing Roma women range from lack of education to language barriers. The majority of these women have never held a job, and even fewer have completed high school. Additionally, Roma women face discrimination by doctors. As in other countries, Roma women in Romania traditionally bear a large number of children. However, many of these women have no transportation to health clinics and lack any knowledge about contraception. Human rights organizations claim that Roma women who give birth in the hospital are often pressured into undergoing sterilization directly after having their child.

Trafficking is another major concern in Romania. Girls are generally trafficked to the Balkans and Western Europe. The Ministry of the Interior has formed a special unit focused on trafficking. Trafficking in persons is punishable under the Romanian Penal Code with 3 to 28 years in prison. Government programs to prevent trafficking have increased in the last two years to include school outreach programs, programs to keep children in school, victim assistance programs, and mass media campaigns. Women's organizations working with trafficking victims have worked with government officials to encourage victims to confront their abusers in court. Through these efforts, more and more traffickers are being convicted every year.

Romania has a universal healthcare system, but access to these services is highly limited to rural woman. While these services should be free, it is common to pay for them through gifts and money. Contraceptives are expensive, and access is restricted those who can afford them and mostly urban women. The number of woman using contraceptives in 1993 was 41%; this number is reduced to 14 percent when considering modern methods. Withdrawal (34 percent) is the most common method; the pill is less that 3 percent of most common methods. Romania legalized abortion in 1989, and the number of abortions increased from 192,500 in 1989 to 992,300 in 1990. Currently, the number of abortions in Romania is 150 per 100 live births. The number of maternal deaths due to abortion has decreased considerably.