The first regional assistance center for child victims of trafficking was inaugurated in the municipality of Bălți. The social institution is a shelter for minors who were victims or witnesses of sexual offenses, trafficking in children or domestic violence and need support. The institution offers legal, medical and social assistance services to children in the municipality of Bălți and in 11 districts in northern Moldova, IPN reports.
The team of psychologists, jurists, medical workers and specialists who take part in the examination of criminal cases involving child victims of offenses will prevent the re-traumatization of minors during trials and will offer coordinated assistance based on cooperation between a number of institutions. For the purpose, there was signed a cooperation agreement between a number of state institutions and organizations that will ensure the provision of integrated expert services in the legal, medical and social sectors by the Barnahus model centered on the legislation of the UN, EU and the Council of Europe.
In the inaugural ceremony, Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița noted that the creation of the regional assistance center for child victims of offenses is a step towards a civilized state approach to social problems generated by offenses and negligence. “A democratic, open, participatory society refuses to pretend not to see the dark sides of human behaviors that are present in our communities. We too often see how domestic violence is tolerated, hidden and even tacitly approved,” said Prime Minster Natalia Gavrilița.
“The opening of the center is a successful operationalization of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the cases when the right to protection is encroached upon and the child has to contact with the legal system, the best interests of this should be taken into account at all the investigation stages and this can be done efficiently only at the center of Barnahus type,” said the head of the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention Daniela Sîmboteanu.
A sum of 1 478 752 lei was allocated from the state budget to ensure the functioning of the center. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and the Child Protection Program for 2022-2026 intend to open two more Barnahus type centers in central and southern Moldova, in Chisinau and in Cahul.
As many as 374 cases in which children became victims of sexual offenses were recorded in Moldova last year.
