Almost half of the children subject to abuse interpret the conception of abuse based on the own experience. They do not know the distinctive signs of the forms of abuse and do not have a self-protective behavior in situations of abuse, shows a study presented on February 5.
In a conference held to present the study, Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Valentina Buliga said that the law on the social protection of children in situations of risk and children separated from parents took effect on January 1. “Even if we took steps, the reality shows that we have yet to deal with many challenges such as child negligence and violence,” stated the minister.
Head of Parliament Igor Corman said the existence of an appropriate legal framework is not enough to protect children’s rights. Implementation mechanisms are needed for the impact of the legal provisions to reach every child in situations of risk. “There are yet many unused reserves and we can learn from the experience of other countries. But it’s not right to wait for assistance from outside. We should establish partnerships involving civil society and the state institutions to deal with such issues,” he said.
The study “Phenomenon of child abuse, negligence and exploitation” was carried out by the public organizations Partnerships for Every Child and Terre des homes, with the financial support of Oak Foundation. Partnerships for Every Child director Stela Grigoras said the problems existing in Moldova can be prevented and solved only by adopting intersector approaches, with well-defined responsibilities. Local capacities should be developed and services and mechanisms for protecting the children from violence should be tested so as to eliminate child abuse.
