The State is the main human rights guarantor. However, if the national protection scheme is not sufficient to address the problem, there are international institutions that supervise and enforce human rights obligations on the States.
State & the National Human Rights Institutions
As the State is the main human rights guarantor, it has to ensure that human rights are respected and protected in the country. Human rights have to be respected and included in the decision making and in actions by all state institutions – courts, law enforcement, governmental and municipal institutions etc.
In addition to this requirement, two National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) were founded in Moldova. The first older and general NHRI is the national ombudsman – the People’s Advocate – who oversees the respect and protection of human rights in the country. The second specialised NHRI is the Equality Council in Moldova which can receive complaints and can prescribe implementation of various actions to stop discrimination. In addition to the NHRIs, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova can review whether different laws and regulations violate Constitutional provisions on human rights.
Read more about the Ombudsman (People’s Advocate).
Read more about the Equality Council.
Read more about the Constitutional Court.
International & European institutions
Often, when a State is responsible for human rights violations, its national protection scheme is not sufficient to address the problem. There are, therefore, several international institutions that supervise and enforce human rights obligations on the States. Such institutions can be international courts (like the International Criminal Court and the European Court of Human Rights) or monitoring types of institutions (like the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment).
Read about which institutions are accessible to you as an individual.
Organisations
Human rights are also monitored and defended by national and international non-governmental organizations. These are most often non-profit organizations that work for the advocacy of certain rights at different levels, offer legal aid to the victims of human rights violations and/or organize awareness raising campaigns. Many non-governmental organizations worldwide have been instrumental in achieving changes to combat insufficiently protected human rights.
Read about organisations in Moldova that work in the area of human rights.