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Discrimination : Describe cases of discrimination based on age in your country, if there are any, and how these issues are being handled in your country.
We consider it is both the responsibility of
In Romania discrimination based on age
public institutions and of representative
is not very clearly showed, nevertheless
youth NGOs. Public institutions are respon-
discrimination related to age is more obvi-
sible for ensuring the legal framework and
ous when talking about firs job for young
public consultations with young people so
people. There is a general assumption
that their opinions can be heard and further
that all young people are unprepared, re-
on taken into consideration on issues that
gardless their educational background or
directly concern them. At the same time,
professional experience. Due to this situa-
public institutions should actively contrib-
tion young people seldom get to be paid
ute to consolidating structured dialogue by
according to their real expertise; moreover
permanently consult with the most repre-
there are some national laws that do not al-
sentative youth NGOs on issues that have
low young people to reach upper hierarchi-
direct impact on young people. On the oth-
cal levels before a certain age (30-35 years
er hand, representative youth NGOs should
old).
permanently be in touch with both young people and public institutions, thus insuring a democratic participation. Supporting youth organisations in order to carry out consultations and further activities to address young people needs would be an improvement in this sense. Also, the fact that youth organisations, and civil society in general, are still not seen as an im-
How are the needs of young people being considered in the justice system of your country? Can young people in your country refuse to engage in activities which are contrary to their conscience, religion or belief, without negative consequences?
portant resource makes difficult to create sustainable coherent public policies that
Young people have the same civic and po-
address real needs of the society.
litical rights as other social categories; the specific needs of young people are not the object of a distinct law. As in every democratic society, at least from a theoretical point of view young people are granted the right to freedom of choice, conscience and belief.
Appendix
Whose responsibility is it to ensure freedom of expression for young people in the society ? How can this be carried out more efficiently ?