A/HRC/34/53/Add.2 52. Some minority representatives regretted that the process to register a religious organization in the country continued to be lengthy and burdensome. They reported the persistence of discriminatory provisions against non-citizens in the Law on Freedom of Conscience, Thought and Belief, as a minimum of 100 signatories citizens of the Republic of Moldova are needed to proceed to register a religious organization. VI. Roma 53. During the course of the visit, the Special Rapporteur had the opportunity to meet with various Roma communities in different localities, including Soroca, Otaci, Schinoasa and Chetrosu. 54. There is no exact number of the Roma population in the Republic of Moldova. According to the 2004 census, Roma represent 0.4 per cent of the population, which is around 12,000 people. This figure is not regarded as representative given the reluctance among Roma to self-identify as such due to strong stigma, 20 and the potential deficiencies in the 2004 census. According to estimates of the Bureau of Inter-Ethnic Relations, there are 20,000 Roma, while some unofficial estimates by Roma leaders raise that figure to 250,000. Lack of accurate figures on Roma in the Republic of Moldova poses a serious challenge for planning and implementing an adequate governmental response to the existing problems. 55. The economic, social and political marginalization of Roma and instances of discrimination and xenophobia against their communities were reported by Roma representatives. The Special Rapporteur also received disturbing allegations of instances of abuse and discrimination against Roma by law enforcement officers. One Roma individual stated: “we are still treated like second-class citizens”. 56. Reports indicate that, in addition to discrimination in gaining access to the labour market and at the workplace, Roma can be discriminated against in education and healthcare institutions.21 Roma communities are also disproportionately affected by poverty, with more than 50 per cent of Roma households ranking in the poorest wealth segments of the population.22 57. The persistence of entrenched stereotypes of and prejudice against Roma, including in the media, was reported as one of the main drivers leading to prejudices, stigmatization and discrimination. In fact, negative perceptions of Roma by the population are widespread: almost 67 per cent of respondents to a survey held the view that the majority of Roma did not work but earned money illegally, including through human and drug trafficking; around 78 per cent held the opinion that Roma usually looked for easy ways to earn money, including through tricks and cheating; and 55 per cent considered that Roma did not send their children to school as a matter of principle, because of their traditions. 23 58. A different study concluded that the acceptance of Roma people had dropped from 21 per cent in 2010 to 12 per cent in 2014, meaning that only 12 per cent of the respondents 20 21 22 23 See UNDP, Roma in the Republic of Moldova (Chisinau, 2007), p. 34, available from www.undp.md/publications/roma%20_report/Roma%20in%20the%20Republic%20of%20Moldova.p df. See L. Malcoci, Perceptions of the Population of the Republic of Moldova on Discrimination: Sociological Study (Soros Foundation-Moldova, 2011), p. 25. See United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) et al, Republic of Moldova: Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2012, Final Report, (Chisinau, 2014) p. 15 available from http://mics.unicef.org/surveys. See “Study on Equality Perceptions” (footnote 14 above), pp. 39 and 40. 13