In some of the districts, there are 10 to 200 children without identification papers. All over Moldova there are up to 5,000 children born after 1998 who are not registered. These children are an easy prey for traffickers, with experts saying both the parents and the local public authorities as well as the law enforcement bodies are to blame for such an alarming situation. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo the head of the Journalistic Investigations Center Cornelia Cozonac said the right to identity is one of the children’s rights that is most often violated in Moldova. These children are not covered by the statistics, do not benefit from social protection and medical assistance, are not registered and can be easily trafficked, with no one knowing about this. A study made by the Journalistic Investigations Center shows that the children who do not have identification papers are usually children whose parents also do not have such papers. It happens mainly in the settlements that are populated mainly by Roma people and that are located far from the district centers. Many of the children whose parents are abroad also remain without papers. These children are under the supervision of grandparents, who do not make effort to validate documents for them as the procedure is excessively bureaucratized. The children without papers can be easily recruited and represent an easy financial source for traffickers. These children are not included in databases. The local authorities are responsible for such a situation. They should make an analysis and identify the children without documents, said the children’s ombudswoman Tamara Plamadeala Iurie Perevoznic, chief prosecutor of the Minors and Human Rights Division of the Prosecutor General’s Office, said not only the parents and the local authorities are to blame, but also the medical personnel and the police officers. “If a child is not registered, he does not have personality and does not enjoy rights and concessions. Even if the parents do not register the children on time, the police and the civil registry bodies should cooperate in this respect. Regretfully, there is no wish and finances,” said the prosecutor. He also said that the doctors should become involved when the mothers give birth at home, but they do not do it. The fine for the late registration of the child is imposed only on parents. It varies between 200 and 400 lei. The law concerning the civil registry documents says a child must be registered within three months of the birth. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, in 2010 there were identified 176 children without ID papers.