Over 640 children left home in Moldova in 2017. Most of these were girls aged 15. These children chose to live on the street or elsewhere owing to misunderstandings in the family or because they want to feel independent. The data were presented in a news conference held to mark the International Day for Street Children, IPN reports.
“In 474 of the cases, the children abandoned the families. In 107 cases, these left placement centers, in 44 cases – family type children’s home, while in 15 cases - residential institutions,” said the head of the General Public Security Division of the General Police Inspectorate Marin Maxian. According to the police, the children leave family type children’s home and residential institutions because they do not like the rules imposed on them and thus choose to live on the street.
“Of the total number of children who abandoned home last year, 269 did it for the first time. 295 children abandoned the domicile repeatedly, while in 49 cases the children left in a group. More exactly, they left placement centers in a group, being influenced by mates. The figures actually decreased, but the problem persists and it is worrisome when 269 children tried to abandon home to live on the street,” said Marin Maxian.
The street children are mainly girls. “The home abandonment tendency persists among girls owing to the change in roles and to the lack of paternal education,” added the official.
Those who leave home owing to family problems complained about not very good relations with the parents, economic problems or physical, psychological and even sexual abuse. “Not only children from socially deprived families leave home. Among these are children from complete, good families who leave because they cannot get along with their parents or do not feel the parents’ love, affection. For their part, the parents said they do not know why the children left as they offered them all they needed, such as money, Internet, clothes and food, but forgot normal things, such as love, understanding and communication,” stated Marin Maxian.
Dictatorship in the family, strict rules, exaggerated control and severe bans are among other reasons for leaving. Marin Maxian said seven children last year became victims of trafficking in children for the purpose of begging or sexual exploitation.
The International Day for Street Children is celebrated on March 21. This was established in 1998 by a resolution of the International Forum “Friends of Street Children” that was held in Warsaw.
