Local authorities demand harsher penalties for irresponsible parents

The Human Rights Center from Moldova held round tables in Soldanesti and Rezina, at which children's rights specialists and the local authorities opted for harsher penalties for irresponsible parents, one of them being the obligation to work to keep children in orphanages, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Soldanesti local authorities say now there is no real alternative to uninsti0tutionalization, reads a communique by the Center. “We are not ready to institute professional guardianship, trusteeship, adoption and parental assistance, the family-type orphanages – because of lack of money provided in our budgets,” said Veaceslav Lesan, a principle specialist in children's rights problems from the Soldanesti Education Division. “Although there are certain amounts provided for such cases in the district budgets, there are always more important things to do, a child's interests being a secondary concern,” he added. In Rezina, there are 650 children whose parents work abroad and 1,326 children that remained with one parent at home. The authorities come up with the suggestion to oblige the parents to state who is going to take care of their children when going to work abroad. “We pursue to modify the law, to exert pressure over all the decision-making factors and bodies to make sure the children's rights are respected,” said the children's ombudswoman, Tamara Plamadeala. She reiterated the idea of creating a national fund for children, which would ease solving money issues in this area.