The legislation should stipulate the obligation to employ the specialist for children’s rights protection who is paid with money from the state budget. There should be instituted a new legal procedure for examining cases of authorizing the taking of the child from the family and deprivation of parental rights. The procedure envisions the existence of specialized panels that will examine the disputes as matters of urgency, independent expert Ina Sotski stated in the meeting of the Parliament’s commission on social protection, health and family that examined the ex-post impact assessment report on the law on the social protection of children in situations of risk and children separated from parents, IPN reports.

Independent expert Ina Sotski said the legislation on the social protection of children can be improved. One of the recommendations is to exclude the obligation for a social community worker, family doctor and sector police officer to be present at the procedure for immediately taking the child from the family for protection purposes. It is also suggested instituting administrative penalties for the abusive and unfounded taking of the child from the family.

Attending the meeting, president of the public association CCF Moldova – Child, Community, Family Liliana Rotaru said she supports the recommendation to employ the specialist for children’s rights protection paid with money from the state budget, but is concerned about the possible exclusion of the social community worker, family doctor and sector police officer from the procedure for immediately taking the child from the family.

She noted that if only a person is empowered to take such a dramatic decision, there will be risks of abuse of power. “There is also an important aspect. The law now specifies that a child can be taken from the family only in case of an imminent danger that can be determined by a representative of the medical system or the police. If a mayor is empowered to take such a decision, there will be very big risks that many children will be taken from the family unfoundedly,” stated Liliana Rotaru.

According to the preliminary report, there were 35,400 children separated from the family in Moldova at the end of 2017. Over 30,000 of these had their parents working abroad, while 293 children were taken from their parents owing to the existence of an imminent danger to their life and health.