The Alliance of Active NGOs in Social Protection of the Child and Family calls on the Government to endorse the plan of action of the child protection strategy for 2014-2020 as soon as possible. Representatives of the NGOs said that when the new strategy is implemented, a reform cycle will start in Moldova, which should begin as quickly as possible so that deinstitutionalization, which is one of the most important processes, is finished. The strategy was approved by the Government at end-May.

In a news conference at IPN, Liliana Rotaru, head of the Association “Child. Community. Family” Moldova (CCFM), which forms part of the Alliance, said the approved strategy will ensure the conditions needed to bring up and educate the children in a family environment and will prevent and combat violence, negligence and exploitation. This strategy promotes non-violent child education practices. A well-thought-out plan is needed to achieve these goals.

“The continuation of the childcare system reform is a national objective that must be achieved. The quantitative and qualitative results obtained until now are only a small impetus to make broader commitments,” said Liliana Rotaru, adding that the strategy had been worked out during two years and it’s not right to delay the adoption of the plan of action now.

The Alliance’s head Stela Vasluian said that Moldova made considerable effort to reform the child protection system over the last ten years. The 67 residential institutions with over 11,000 children covered by the reform in 2006 caused serious concerns. The investments in policies and the efforts made to deinstitutionalize the children are only several of the elements that contributed to reducing the number of institutionalized children by 52% until September 2012. Stela Vasluian called on the authorities to make effort to continue the reform.

The Alliance of Active NGOs in Social Protection of the Child and Family urges the authorities to pay increased attention to the institutionalized children aged between 0 and 3 and the children with disabilities, to invest more in the services to prevent the separation of children from parents and in the professionalism of the employees of the child protection system.

The Alliance’s representative Viorica Postolaki said the budget savings must be redirected to abandonment prevention services and alternative family-based childcare services. The innovations can considerably improve the quality of the child and family friendly services. “These investments, alongside a general culture of intolerance of institutionalization, can become the foundation stone for a child friendly protection system,” she stated.

Founded on March 5, 2002, the Alliance of Active NGOs in Social Protection of the Child and Family is a forum of national and local NGOs whose actions focus on the promotion of the interests of the child and family. Currently, the Alliance includes 116 NGOs.