Every day, child protection specialists and police officers from each district raid the territory of Chisinau. In the first two months of this year alone, 28 street children were identified. More than half of them lived on the street not for the first time. In total, 876 cases when children intentionally left home or foster homes were recorded in 2023. Of these, more than half – 528 children – ran away repeatedly, while 11 minors are nowhere to be found, IPN reports.

“Usually, children who think they are successful there return to the streets, for example, to beg. They invent tear-jerking stories and ask passersby for money. In a short time, they have gain for which they didn’t make an effort, Ana Bezobrazova, deputy head of the Child Protection Division of Chisinau municipality, told RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service .

Data from the National Public Security Inspectorate show that the vast majority of street children (75%) come from outside Chisinau and, even if they are returned to their place of residence, they return to the capital city in a few days.

The Service writes that, because their number is large, a social assistance center for street children was opened in Chisinau in 2019. Here, minors found on the street receive housing, food, clothes and hygiene products. Children can stay in this center for up to 45 days, while the responsible bodies are looking for a solution to each case.

“Children who live on the street at the age of 10-12 can’t even read or write. We try to guide the older ones professionally, to guide them in choosing a career. We are happy when we have successful cases, but they are unique. Much more often children return to the streets,” said Ana Bezobrazova. She urged the residents of the capital city who meet children at risk on the street not to give them money and to call the police.