site.btaTaraclia Hosts Seventh Forum of Human Rights Defenders

The seventh edition of the Human Rights Defenders Forum took place at the Vasil Levski Youth Centre in Taraclia on Monday. The event brought together students from 5th to 12th grade from schools across the district, their civic education teachers, and guests.

Addressing the participants, the Deputy Chair of Taraclia District, Andrei Baltakov, encouraged young people to develop their interest in human rights work, emphasizing that they have the potential to become strong defenders of human rights and individuals who not only know their rights, but also know how to help others, guide them out of ignorance, and support them when their rights are violated.

Nelly Mostovaya, the Chief Specialist at the Taraclia District Education Department responsible for civic education, told BTA that, for the first time this year, each educational institution not only presented what it had achieved so far, the research and projects already completed, but also outlined its future steps to promote rights and freedoms in their schools and communities on dedicated maps.

During the forum, students also critically reflected on the process of protecting human rights in various life situations, recognized the values, attitudes, skills and knowledge they had gained through their involvement in human rights activities, clarified the role of adults in respecting, protecting and expanding children’s rights and opportunities, showed respect for the different practices, methods and approaches used in human rights protection.

Baltakov stressed that it is useful to compare Moldova’s human and children’s rights standards with practices in other countries. He expressed confidence that, following the discussion, many participants will wish to explore the topic in greater depth, adding that this in itself is a valuable outcome of the forum.

The event was organized by the Taraclia District Education Department with the support of the Association for the Development of the Bulgarian Community in Moldova, the Partnerships for Every Child public association, and the Vasil Levski Youth Centre.