Moldovan children say their right to leisure is infringed

The right to vacation and free time of the children is violated when they are overloaded with homework, when the parents become involved in choosing a leisure activity or when their safety is not ensured near recreational areas. These are some of the observations that the members of the Child Rights Monitoring Group noted down in their monitoring cards that they brought to Chisinau from their communities. The 25 members of the group, who are from 15 districts of Moldova, came together in Chisinau for the seventh workshop organized by the Child Rights Information and Documentation Center (CRIDC). The seminar is held between August 24 and 26, Info-Prim Neo reports. “We want that these children communicate between them and exchange the information about the children’s rights that they collected in their communities. These observations will form the basis for a report that will be presented to officials responsible for these rights. Firstly, we want to find out what the concerns of these children are and then prepare this report together, step by step,” said Iosif Moldovanu, the head of the CRIDC. “As children’s ombudswoman, I came to see what recommendations they have. These recommendations will be analyzed and submitted to decision makers. For me, it is important to find out what problems the children face, what is their opinion,” said Tamara Plamadeala. “Owing to this project, I know my rights and can inform by colleagues and adults about them. The project activities offer us the possibility of finding out the views of other children, from other settlements,” said Victoria Lungu from Chisinau, who is a member of the monitoring group. The Child Rights Monitoring Group was created in July 2008 to enable the children to speak about their problems and the problems of their fellows. The members of the group are aged between 12 and 16.