Creating opportunity for juvenile inmates in Transdniestria
"Can we go there once more? Maybe we can organize a surprise visit on New Year's Eve?" asks Maria, a 16-year old student from the town of Benderi in Transdniestria. Maria is an ordinary secondary school student, but one of the very few Transdniestrian teenagers to do voluntary work for an NGO (non-governmental organization).
To some, her request may seem unusual: Maria wants to visit her peers at a juvenile detention centre in the remote village of Alexandrovka. She volunteered to conduct two training sessions for the young detainees on education and job opportunities.
"I felt uneasy when I entered the detention centre for the first time. However, after walking around and chatting with the boys, I realized that they are simply my peers. We have similar interests, and share many likes and dislikes. They, like all of us, have very ordinary and simple dreams - to be loved and accepted by their family and friends, and to have their support," says Maria.
Maria joins the other volunteers for the training session. Volunteers discuss employment opportunities after release and explain the way to go about getting a job. It takes a while for the audience to warm up and get involved. They do not give their trust and friendship easily.
In October ten secondary school and university students, a professional lawyer and a psychologist twice made the 200 kilometre round-trip to Alexandrovka. They were brought together by Resonance, a Transdniestrian NGO. The visits are supported by the OSCE Mission to Moldova, as part of a project to assist the social re-integration of juvenile inmates into society upon release. It includes educational seminars conducted by peers, visits by a psychologist and lawyer, and the publication of a guide on employment opportunities. Before starting the project, the NGO team conducted a study visit to learn about the experiences of Chisinau-based NGOs working on the same issue.
This initiative follows an earlier project by the OSCE Mission and Resonance in 2007. Then, for the first time in Transdniestria, an NGO was able to draw the attention of the authorities and society to the lack of rehabilitation opportunities for former detainees. Even now Resonance, led by the enthusiastic Juliana Abramova, is the only organization that deals with the rehabilitation of former juvenile detainees and contributes to the promotion of their rights. Over the years this NGO has managed to establish an effective working relationship with the Transdniestrian authorities, who not only allow them access to detention facilities but also strongly support their work.
At the end of the training sessions, the young residents of Alexandrovka get a chance to compete with the volunteers in volleyball and table-tennis matches. Both parties are convinced that everybody deserves to be a winner.
Written by Dace Lukumiete, Human Dimension Officer
16 December 2010