Prosecutors last year handled 51 criminal cases on the evasion of parental obligations. Eighty-four children appeared as victims in these cases, IPN reports.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO), 64 children became victims of domestic violence in the period. Another 50 children were victims of crimes against life and health, 65 children – victims of hooliganism, 11 children – victims of child pornography, 14 children – victims of trafficking, and 122 children – victims of crimes against property.

Sixty-four children died last year due to the negligence of their parents or caregivers after suffering poisoning, drowning, falling from height or being involved in other accidents.

“Although various methods of promoting positive parenting were implemented the past years, aiming to develop parenting skills, especially information services intended for parents, which are largely based on early intervention, the situation in this regard remains yet alarming. Parents often understand their mistakes only after their children, being left unsupervised, neglected, etc., sustain serious trauma or die,” the PGO noted in its report for last year.

“The relatively high number of child victims of abuse or neglect, which constitute 76.5% of the total number of crimes committed against children, shows that, although there are mechanisms through which the Law on the special protection of children at risk and children separated from parents is applied, the authorities responsible for child protection encounter difficulties in applying it.”

Last year, prosecutors completed the investigations into 693 criminal cases featuring child victims and 491 criminal cases of these were sent to court for examination on the merits.