Children in Lipcani prison to act as actors and directors

During a week, the children held in the penitentiary in Lipcani will make one-minute films about their problems and needs. “By this initiative, we want to offer these children the possibility of re-socializing and tell the people and decision makers about the things that bother them,” UNICEF spokeswoman Lina Botnaru stated for Info-Prim Neo. According to statistics, 90% of the imprisoned children committed offenses while left without supervision or because of poverty. “But this does not mean that they are criminals. We want to get rid of this stereotype by these movies,” Lina Botnaru said. During the video workshop “One Minute Junior”, the children will direct movies and will act as actors in their own films, under the guidance of foreign experts. The “One Minute Junior” workshop is famous in Europe, the Balkans and the CIS for promoting children's voices and familiarizing the adults with them. Organized by UNICEF with support from the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Penitentiary Institutions, the workshop will last by October 7. A number of 68 children – 62 boys and six girls – are currently in prison in Moldova.