The family is the best environment for raising children and the state should support this. The parents should guide their children and protect them from particular risks. To be able to do this, they need to be guided themselves and to be financially supported and should be offered possibilities of combining work and family responsibilities. The challenges related to education were discussed in an international scientific-practical conference held in connection with the International Day of Families. It is taking place in Chisinau on May 14 and 15 under the title “Strengthening the family as a fundamental precondition for promoting children’s rights”, IPN reports.
Keystone Moldova executive director Ludmila Malcoci said the number of households with children decreased considerably the last few years. This is also due to the high level of poverty. The birth rate declines and the population is aging. 43% of the children in the Republic of Moldova are from poor families. Many of the children with disabilities the last few years were integrated into general education intuitions. Even so, their right to education is not fully ensured and a large part of these students continue to be discriminated. There is also a shortage of services and specialists, such as personal assistants or of mobile teams that would help them. These problems should be urgently solved.
UNICEF Moldova Country Representative Ilija Talev noted that together with the exodus of the population, many children stay at home without one or both of the parents. This negatively affects the education of children. The parents should guide their children and protect them from particular risks. This was felt primarily during the pandemic, including during remote learning.
Ombudswoman for children’s rights Maia Bănărescu said the family is the best environment for raising children. Crèches should be set up and specialists should be trained so that the parents could work and bring up children simultaneously.
“We have specialists in different areas and have schools that train physicians, chemists, but we do not have schools that teach how to be a parent,” said Alexandra Barbăneagră, rector the State Teacher Training University “Ion Creangă”, suggesting that training courses should be staged for the future parents so as to teach them how to educate children.
Vasile Cușca, secretary of state at the Ministry of Health, noted the legislative framework on the family was improved and the fathers are allowed to go on paternity leave, to work from a distance and to have a flexible work program. But the allowances for families with children should be raised and medical services provided for families with children should be improved.
Attending the online conference, Ștefan Dărăbuș, global programs director at “Hope and Homes for Children”, said the law on the prevention of separation from the family seems as welcome as air. However, politicians who would support it cannot be found.
The International Day of Families is celebrated annually on May 15.
