Since I could not identify any association in Romania, I wrote about one in Moldova. I came across an article about this association (in Romanian), so I decided to make further research. I thought it might be useful since nobody worked on Moldova, yet it was also part of the Soviet Union in 1986 and Moldovans worked as liquidators in Chernobyl. I know it is not exactly the type of association the assignment was referring to (since it shows the solidarity between the victims/ liquidators), but I believe these associations are also important for the remembrance of Chernobyl.
Approximately 3,500 Moldovans participated as liquidators in Chernobyl. Since 1986, 560 of them have died. The others suffer from a disease with a strange name: “work mutilation provoked by the accident in Chernobyl”. In their families, children were born with disabilities.
The Chernobyl Society Moldova was constituted as an NGO in 1991, with the main purpose of defending the interests of those Moldovan citizens who suffered as a result of the Chernobyl catastrophe. Its membership was opened, besides the liquidators, to other categories affected by the negative effects of nuclear energy, such as soldiers who participated in the testing of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Army.
The major aims of the association were the following: to provide adequate medical treatment for its members, to facilitate their rehabilitation, but also to inform the population about the danger represented by nuclear energy. A special law adopted by the government of the newly created Republic of Moldova reinforced the necessity of such an organization. The Law regarding the Social Protection of Citizens Affected by the Chernobyl Catastrophe was issued as early as 1992, referring particularly to the provision of adequate medical assistance and financial help, especially in the form of pensions.
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