As many as 471 children - 262 girls and 209 boys - during the first nine months of this year abandoned home and other placement forms. In 222 cases of abandonment, the children were aged between 14 and 15.

Contacted by IPN, head of the Psycho-Socio-Pedagogical Center of Chisinau Svetlana Gorea said the key reasons why teens resort to abandonment include the hostile relations with parents and poverty. When they find themselves on the street, they see they can earn money much easier. Some leave home under the influence of their friends, while others try thus to get rid of domestic violence.

Asked what influences the gender proportion of young people who leave home, Svetlana Gorea said there is a high number of runaway girls because the psychological profile of girls changed. The girls are more unstable from emotional viewpoint, but are simultaneously more powerful and take radical decisions. Foreign specialists consider the emancipation of women also plays a role.

Svetlana Gorea noted that society should more actively become involved in combating this phenomenon. “They should not motivate. For example, the blocks where these children find refuge should be closed so that there is no access to them. There should also be created placement centers with special programs and specific cognitive-behavioral therapies,” she stated, adding that the family also plays a very important role and this should educate the children from young, with emphasis on studies, not on the financial aspect.

The General Police Inspectorate recommends the parents, legal representatives and guardians to immediately contact the close relatives and friends of the runaway child as these are the main places where this can be. The police must be alerted if the child cannot be found.