Some 59.6% of the respondents of a study carried out by the World Health Organization – students of Moldovan universities – said they experienced abuse, negligence or disagreements in the family during the first 18 years of life once or more than once. These experiences are more often among the surveyed boys than girls - 62.4% to 57.8% - but tend to be more episodic in character. Among girls such cases are more repetitive in character, IPN reports.

The study presented on November 30 shows that among the most often reported types of negative childhood events were the psychological/emotional abuses (16.7% of girls and 12.3% of boys), psychological negligence of basic needs (13.8% of girls and 11.5% of boys) and the phenomenon of “normalization” of physical abuse with the aim of disciplining, which was declared about 2.5 times more often than physical abuse.

In the event to present the study, Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Stela Grigoras said the violence against children and women is topical in most of the states, including Moldova. In response, a series of actions have been taken during the last few years to reduce the phenomenon, starting with the improvement of the legal and regulatory frameworks and continuing with the strengthening of inter-sector cooperation so as to ensure the implementation of efficient prevention and response measures.

Head of the WHO Country Office in Moldova Haris Hajrulahovic stated that inter-sector cooperation is very important in achieving the expected results in the field of child protection. The study provided evidence showing that the abuse against minors and exposure to major letdowns in the family essentially contribute to public health problems in Moldova. The prevention of child maltreatment and improvement of the functionality of families were recommended to reduce the prevalence of risky behaviors and morbidity in adult life.