Moldova needs services for migrants’ children and children in difficulty, study

The Moldovan authorities must develop specialized services to help the children who form part of risk groups. They are mainly children from families in difficulty and with one or both of the parents working abroad. This is one of the conclusions of a national study of the situation of children in difficulty and children whose parents work abroad, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the study, almost 20% of the children in difficulty and migrants’ children drink alcohol, smoke or take drugs. Also, about 20% of these children said that their friends are violent and aggressive and they are even beaten. A part of the children whose parents work abroad or who are in difficulty said that they do not have friends and are socially isolated. More than 49,000 children of the about 168,000 surveyed need the assistance of a social worker, while 14,000 children have different health problems and necessitate medical consultation. Almost 10,000 children need psychological counseling. Half of them are from families where the parents work abroad. The study authors established that besides children who live alone and those with deviant behavior, the risk groups also include children who do not have friends or close confidants. They recommend that each of these children should be monitored by the social worker, while the authorities should develop psychological services at community level. The education institutions are urged to organize support activities for the students to do their homework as well as recreational activities for them. The representatives of the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, which proposed carrying out the study, aim to develop a procedure for identifying and monitoring the children from risk groups. The study also shows that 62% of the children in Moldova have one or both of the parents working abroad, while 37% are in difficulty for various reasons.