Ombudswoman demands punishing parents who chained child to doghouse

Ombudswoman for children's rights Tamara Plamadeala requested the Prosecutor's Office of Soldanesti to sanction the parents from Alcedar village who chained their two-year-old boy to the doghouse and often closed him inside the house. The child was found alone in the house. He had been crying for two days and was heard by neighbors, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communique from the Center for Human Rights of Moldova. The boy was left in the care of his grandmother who abused alcohol and did not look after the child. His parents went to Soroca and haven't been found yet. This is not the first time that he was closed inside the house, tied to the bed or doghouse with a chain. A dog and a cat also live in that house. Six months ago, the local social worker visited the child and assessed the conditions in which he lived, but took no measures to improve the situation. Thus, Tamara Plamadeala recommended the Soldanesti Social Assistance and Family Protection Division to initiate the procedure for depriving the child's parents of parental rights. The ombudswoman also lodged a note with the Prosecutor's Office of Soldanesti, asking that the parents be held accountable. A number of cases of children drowning, falling from height and being involved in road accidents as a result of the parents' negligence have been reported lately. Tamara Plamadeala said she will submit a number of proposals for amending the legislation and toughening up the punishments for negligent parents to Parliament.