An intervention service in case of children in situations of risk is needed not only in the municipality of Chisinau, but also at national level. The children taken from the street should be placed at local centers where specialists will work with them, Rodica Terehovski, acting head of the Municipal Children’s Rights Protection Division, said in a meeting that centered on children who live in deserted buildings in Chisinau. Such a solution would be much better because the minors in the municipal emergency placement service can stay there for only 72 hours and then go in unknown directions and are later found on the street again, IPN reports.
Representatives of the Municipal Police said there are 15 children in the municipality of Chisinau who were repeatedly handed over to the local tutelage authorities. These children often return to the street and the measures taken by the authorities are insufficient.
The children of the street commit offenses, but cannot be held accountable or subject to educative constraint measures because they are under 18. The police suggested setting up a working group for thinking up solutions to change the situation in the field.
The people’s ombudswoman Maia Banarescu said these children are victims of society and it is important to see what the state offers to them and what society offe to them. “Emphasis should be clearly placed on prevention as those from the street are children who leave home because the parents abuse alcohol or use violence,” she stated. The ombudswoman underlined the lack of attractive programs for children at the local level.
About 400 children who lived on the street were identified in the first half of this year. The figure is constant, as the authorities said.
