During the summer vacation, 21 children aged between 8 and 18 were found wandering and begging on the streets of Chisinau. Most of these are boys. Seven are from the municipality of Chisinau, while the others came from other regions of the country. The data were presented by the acting head of the Municipal Children’s Rights Protection Division Lucia Caciuc in the September 24 meeting of officials of Chisinau services and divisions, IPN reports.

Lucia Caciuc said that when the Ministry of the Interior’s national placement center for minors was closed in  2012, it became more difficult to supervise the children in situations of risk. A number of 44 raids were carried out in the city in June – August. Twenty-one children found begging were taken to placement centers, but most of these returned to the street shortly afterward.

In the period, the Division started to supervise 1,176 children who remained without parental care. Almost 900 of these were placed under tutelage, almost 20 in the professional parent assistance service, while the rest in specialized centers and community homes.

The large number of children whose parents went to work abroad and left these alone is a reason for concern. Lucia Caciuc  said there is no mechanism for notifying the authorities when the parents go abroad and the children who remain without parental care are often identified when they commit an offense or in other unpleasant situations. Many of these are at an age when they face increased risks of adopting deviant behavior.

Lucia Caciuc reminded that a street assistance service was recently created and the children who are in situations of risk will be now better supervised.