COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CONSIDERS THE REPORT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

The Committee on the Rights of the Child today concluded its consideration of the combined fourth and fifth periodic report of the Republic of Moldova on measures taken to implement the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Introducing the report, Stela Grigoras, Minister of Health, Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova, highlighted the considerable progress achieved in the area of the protection of the rights of the child, including the reduction in the rate of absolute poverty from 26 to 11 per cent. The number of children in residential care had been reduced tenfold as a result of the progress in the deinstitutionalization process which had seen the closure of 39 large-scale residential institutions and the setting up of alternative care throughout the country. The Republic of Moldova had further developed its integrated social service system to improve the delivery of services and had established a coherent gate-keeping mechanism to prevent the separation of children from their families, and to contribute to the accountability of local and territorial authorities. The Government had adopted the 2011-2020 Programme for the Development of Inclusive Education, trained over 1,200 professionals in inclusive education and set up 35 district services for psycho-pedagogical assistance to support schools in the integration of children with disabilities.

In the dialogue that followed, Committee Experts recognized the progress made in protecting children’s rights and urged the Republic of Moldova to reduce child poverty which was still high among vulnerable groups. An important issue of concern was the high level of discrimination against migrant children, Roma children, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex children - what specific measures were in place to combat discrimination? Despite the progress in the deinstitutionalization process, considerable number of children remained in institutions, Experts said, and asked about special measures taken to transfer children with disabilities into alternative care. They inquired about the education inclusive of children with disabilities including psychosocial, intellectual and sensory disabilities, and expressed concern about the growing number of street children, and the situation of children left behind by the parents migrating abroad for work. Other issues raised in the discussion included the prevention of violence against children and the protection of the victims, efforts to eradicate child labour which affected one in three children in the country, and action taken to eliminate early marriages which seemed frequent among the Roma population.

In her closing remarks, Ms. Grigoras said that the Committee’s concluding observations would be a manual for the Republic of Moldova to continue to improve the situation in residential care and other areas where it was needed.

Olga Khazova, Committee Rapporteur for the Republic of Moldova, concluded by recognizing the State party’s strong political will to improve the situation of children’s rights and urged it to improve the participation of children.

The delegation of the Republic of Moldova included the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The next public meeting of the Committee will be on Wednesday, 20 September at 10 a.m., when it will start the review of the fifth periodic report of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (CRC/C/PRK/5).

Report

The combined fourth and fifth periodic report of the Republic of Moldova under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/MDA/4-5) can be accessed here.

Presentation of the Reports

STELA GRIGORAS, Minister of Health, Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova, said that in the ten years since the presentation of its last report to the Committee, the country had undergone significant political, economic and social changes and had achieved considerable progress in the area of child’s rights protection. The rate of absolute poverty had decreased from 26 to 11 per cent, although it remained higher than the national average among families with children. The Republic of Moldova had implemented the 2007-2012 National Strategy and Action Plan for reforming the residential care for children, adopted the regulatory and institutional framework for the alternative family-type services, closed 39 large-scale residential institutions and established the alternative family care across the country, thus effectively reducing the number of children in residential care by tenfold. Additionally, the country had adopted the national programme on the development of an integrated social service system to improve the social delivery framework and strengthen primary social services. A coherent gate-keeping mechanism, embodied in the Commission for the Protection of the Child in Difficulty, had been established to prevent the separation of children from their families and to contribute to the accountability of local and territorial authorities. In 2013, the Law on the Special Protection of Children at Risk and Children Separated from their Parents had been adopted and had since served as a guide for all institutions and professionals working in child care. The minimum quality standards for the alternative child care services had been adjusted to the United Nations Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.

Family support services were being delivered in more than half of the country’s districts, and over 110 community social workers had been trained for service provision. A guaranteed income was being provided to every household, following the individual income assessment, as regulated by the social aid programme. Ms. Grigoras then outlined the efforts to improve inclusive education, which included the adoption of the 2011-2020 Programme for the Development of Inclusive Education, training of over 1,200 professionals in inclusive education, and establishment of 35 district services for psycho-pedagogical assistance to support schools in the provision of inclusive education. As far as persons with disabilities were concerned, the Republic of Moldova had adopted the law and strategy on the social inclusion of persons with disabilities in an effort to implement the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The regulation on the organization and operation of the Community Early Development Centre for children was in place and it aimed to increase the number of children aged three to seven in the early education programmes.

On health, a network of Youth Friendly Health Centres had been established across the country to adjust the health system to the European healthcare standards for adolescents. The fight against violence against children was improved with the creation of the inter-agency cooperation mechanism, the adoption of the Law on the Police and Status of the Police Officer, and the adoption of the Child Protection Strategy in 2016, while the rights of the child involved in criminal procedures were protected by the procedural guarantees contained in the Criminal Procedure Code. In closing, Ms. Grigorias outlined the key priorities for the future, which included the strengthening of the Family Support Services, the development of primary intervention programmes and the development of aftercare services, improving the information system of children at risk and strengthening the social service funding system.

Questions from the Experts

GEHAD MADI, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the Republic of Moldova, recognized the progress made in protecting children’s rights and in developing the legislation consistent with the Convention, and urged the Republic of Moldova to strengthen measures aimed at reducing child poverty which was still high among vulnerable groups.

Mr. Madi further acknowledged the efforts to combat corruption, particularly in the field of education and health, and encouraged the Government to further strengthen such efforts as the corruption was present also among the State officials.

Did the Republic of Moldova plan to ratify the Optional Protocol on a communication procedure?

The Expert noted the role of the National Council for Children, chaired by the Prime Minister, but pointed that more needed to be done to strengthen the coordination with local authorities.

Turning to the issue of an independent monitoring, the Rapporteur asked whether the Ombudsman was able to receive complaints by children and inquired about the measures taken to raise the status of the institution from B to A in line with the Paris Principles.

What was the situation concerning the allocation of resources for children’s rights, asked the Rapporteur, noting that children with disabilities from ethnic minorities were excluded from the funds for inclusive education, that the funds for child-friendly interviewing rooms were not available and that the funds for children had been further reduced.

Progress in data collection was acknowledged, but disaggregated data about vulnerable groups, most notably Roma children and street children, was still missing. Data were also lacking on the situation of the rights of the child and the business – what policies and regulations were in place in this area?

The Committee remained concerned by the lack of measures to disseminate the Convention; children’s rights were seldom a part of the professional training which were usually conducted by non-governmental organizations. What steps were being taken to correct this? Was the Convention taught in schools?

An important issue of concern was the high level of discrimination against migrant children, Roma children, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex children. What was being done to combat discrimination in the Republic of Moldova?

On the situation of Roma, Mr. Madi noted that the Action Plan for the Support of the Roma People 2011 to 2015 had resulted in the deployment of 25 mediators across the country, but since the project’s pilot phase, the number of mediators had dropped to less than 16 due to the lack of resources. The Rapporteur urged the Government to allocate sufficient funds for the implementation of this plan and asked the delegation to explain why the new action plan did not include any provisions against violence and abuse of marginalized groups.

What was the policy of the Republic of Moldova in the area of sexual orientation and gender identity, asked the Rapporteur, recalling the 2010 ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and the adoption and the consequent annulation of the 2013 law which would have had adverse impact on the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.

OLGA KHAZOVA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the Republic of Moldova, remarked that the definition of the child was in line with the Convention, but raised concern about two exceptions. The first was the option of reducing the age of marriage to 16 years, and the Rapporteur asked about the circumstances in which it was done, who made the decision, and whether this provision would be abolished. The second exception concerned the legal emancipation of a child aged 16 or above, on the basis of a service or employment, or with the consent of parents, adoptive parents or tutor. Could such child still enjoy protection as a child and could such an emancipated child marry?

Ms. Khazova wondered whether the administrative and judicial authorities understood the proper application of the concept of the best interest of the child, and asked if judges and the specialists working in the child protection were trained on the application of the principle.

Concerning birth registration, the problem still existed among Roma children, children born at home, children born out of wedlock and undocumented mothers. How could this be improved, and how the home births were registered? Could the delegation inform of the 2016 programme which was meant to introduce an automatic birth registration procedure in medical institutions? The National Statistics Bureau and the Ministry of Health offered different data on births – what would be done to consolidate the data?

On violence, the Rapporteur noted that after the establishment of the free help line in 2014, 30 cases of domestic violence and 27 cases of violence outside of family had been reported during the first six months. Had those incidents been investigated? The Office of the Prosecutor had identified 163 cases of torture and ill-treatment during the 2010-2014 period – had those cases been investigated? What steps were being taken to address the reported cases of beating of children in prisons? What protection was offered to a victim of violence, or a child that witnessed violence? What mechanism was in place for reporting on psychological violence, since this had been much harder to capture and prove?

Further on the violence against children, the delegation was asked about measures to address bullying, efforts to raise awareness about the prohibition of corporal punishment in all settings, and measures adopted to increase the number of rehabilitation centres for victims of violence and to strengthen the provision of psychological support and advice.

What was the Government doing to address the problem of sexual abuse, asked the Rapporteur, noting that this was still considered a taboo. Did the mandatory school curriculum include classes on sexual behaviour and online safety?

What was being done to address the problem of early marriages which were frequent among the Roma population?

Other Experts asked the delegation about measures taken to enhance the participation of children in the education system and the existence of child-friendly accountability mechanisms so that the children were aware of their responsibility to participate. How was the children’s participation monitored and measured? The delegation was also asked about steps taken to enhance the children’s freedom of expression and, in the context of the right to freedom of religion, about the Russian Orthodox teaching in schools.

Replies by the Delegation

The delegation affirmed that the legislation was constantly evolving in order to further consolidate its compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

New poverty reduction measures had been introduced, most notably the programme for social allowances which targeted poor families with children. Social services also supported families with children including through the provision of financial assistance based on a needs assessment. Also, there was a material assistance which was given once a year.

On the efforts to fight the corruption, the Republic of Moldova had adopted a package of laws at the end of 2013, which introduced the checks and sanctions for the Government officials. During the 2014- 2017 period, a number of amendments had been introduced to the legislation to strengthen the capacities of law enforcement bodies to fight the corruption. The delegation noted that the number of identified crimes of corruption increased by four per cent per year.

Concerning the ratification of the Optional Protocol on a communications procedure, the Republic of Moldova had decided to conduct the feasibility study in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The National Child Protection Council took part in developing child policies and monitored the implementation of public policies in the area of child care; its role would be strengthened in future. The Law 140 improved the coordination with the local structures. The National Agency for Social Assistance also worked to coordinate the efforts of local authorities. In the reporting period, two inter-sectorial coordination mechanisms had been put in place: one designed to reduce child mortality rate and the second one to address sexual abuse and neglect of children. The establishment of those mechanisms had been followed with trainings for all professionals working with children.

In terms of a comprehensive child policy, the delegation explained that each sector had their policies to enhance the protection of children, justice, education and health. The Republic of Moldova was planning to revise a Child Protection Strategy in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Significant funds had been earmarked for 10,000 children with different types of special educational needs, said a delegate, adding that only 28 Roma children were not covered with any measures, which was an improvement from 2015. The differences in amount of aid each child received depended on the region and the overall socio-economic conditions. In schools, the Government was to provide free food and free textbooks for Roma children and other children from marginalized communities.

When it came to the funds allocated for social services, the delegation explained that, in the context of deinstitutionalization, the resource allocation was being shifted from institutions to community care, and recognized the problems in maintaining the level of funding by the local authorities. The Ministry of Finance had set up a compensation fund for the local authorities that failed to meet their financial obligations; the local authorities would continue to receive grants to enable them to provide balanced child care services. The networks of community social services were well developed, so that each village had at least the initial primary provision of service.

On data collection, the setting up of an integrated information system on social assistance was underway. It had three modules – on cash payments to vulnerable families, on social services which offered disaggregated data for all vulnerable categories, and on human resource management. Each child would be covered with the second module on social services and the delegation hoped that the fully disaggregated data would be available by the next reporting period.

In terms of training and dissemination of the Convention, there was a special module on children rights in the courses for professionals, which were delivered in cooperation with development partners and civil society. The National Agency for Social Assistance also provided trainings. There was a course on civil rights in secondary schools, which contained a module on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

All ministries had representatives of the civil society in their advisory boards, and each had a platform for cooperating with the civil society organizations which were always included in the policy design process.

The number of Roma community mediators did drop as a result of the reduced financial resources, said the delegation, noting that this problem would be solved through the financing from the State budget. The provisions on the fight against discrimination and marginalization were indeed absent from the new Action Plan for the Support of the Roma People, as they were contained elsewhere.

Concerning the participation of children, the delegation informed the Committee that the National Pupils Council was in place and that the views of the children were taken into account in the social services area. Eleven local authorities had children advisory boards which were included in the consultation processes and were providing their opinion on what should be improved. This was considered a best practice so many countries visited the Republic of Moldova to learn from this approach.

On the definition of child, the age of marriage and the emancipation of minors, a delegate said that the emancipation of the minor was approved by a decision of the supervisory authorities; with the consent of parents of guardian or, if parents did not give their consent, by court decision. In line with the Family Code, the age of marriage could be reduced to 16 years under some conditions, which was the consequence of the widely practiced early marriage among Roma. Simply changing the legislation would not be right, so the Government was working on addressing this phenomenon in practice. The decision on reducing the age of marriage was made by guardians or the parents.

Improving birth registration rates was among the State’s priorities. Medical certificates were issued immediately by the clinics, which considerably improved the situation. Social workers were involved and facilitated the process for births at home, or out of wedlock.

Massive awareness campaigns were being conducted to promote the ban on corporal punishment in all settings and the mass media was helping in raising the awareness on this issue.

The Republic of Moldova intended to introduce concrete programmes to fight bullying and psychological violence, in line with the recently adopted strategies. There were no plans to set up rehabilitation centres for victims of violence in each locality but rather to establish them on a regional level. Informative events were being organized every year to prevent violence against and among children; courses, programmes and workshops were being organized in partnership with school personnel, and contained information about online security, the help line and the protection services.

Concerning sexual education in schools, special modules had been developed as a part of the biology course, which had led to an animated debate with the parents who had expressed polarizing views on the issue. An elective on Russian Orthodox religion was attended by 27.7 per cent of the students; a religious course for evangelists had been offered but the attendance was very low as this group represented only one per cent of the population.

Questions from the Experts

OLGA KHAZOVA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the Republic of Moldova, noted that great achievements had been made in the deinstitutionalization process.

The Committee was concerned about the situation of children left behind by the parents migrating abroad for work, noting that there had been 105,270 such children in 2012. How were those children identified and registered? Would the law be amended to make it compulsory for parents going abroad for longer than three months to inform local guardianship authorities? How hard was is for the child to maintain a relationship with a parent working abroad?

What was the Government doing to ensure that foster care and other alternative types of care existed in all municipalities, including remote areas?

What was the country doing to ensure the complete enforcement of the Law 140? Did it have sufficient funds and staff for the implementation?

An information was sought on how the gatekeeping commissions worked in practice.

On the issue of adoption, the Rapporteur remarked that, in spite of the reform introduced with the Law on the Legal Regime of Adoption, the procedure was lengthy and marked by excessive bureaucracy. In the light of the legal counselling for potential adopters not being always available, how long did it usually take to adopt a child? Only the children above the age of ten were consulted in the adoption procedure, what about younger children? The adoption procedure took place with the mandatory participation of the prosecutors, leading to traumatization of children - did the prosecutors have any training in this regard?

In the health sector, out of pocket cash payments were common and presented a significant problem for many parents who could not afford it. Were the Youth Friendly Health Centres present everywhere in the country and did they offer psychological services since suicide rate was alarming?

GEHAD MADI, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the Republic of Moldova, on the questions of child labour said that the Committee had received reports of one in three children generating income from an activity; most children worked in agriculture, with large percentage working in hard conditions. What was being done to eradicate child labour? What measures were in place to address the growing number of street children?

On juvenile justice, the Committee was concerned about the lack of juvenile courts, lack of training for judges and the random system of assigning the cases to judges who did not have experience in juvenile justice. Was there a mechanism of expediting or prioritizing cases of juveniles in conflict with the law? Would the disciplinary mechanism of solitary confinement in prisons be abolished? What services were provided to children with incarcerated mothers?

There were reports of the Moldovan children travelling to Syria to fight – was the Government aware of those reports?

Other Committee Experts noted that, despite the progress in the deinstitutionalization process, a considerable number of children remained in institutions. They asked about the education inclusive of children with psychosocial, intellectual and sensory disabilities, training provided to teachers to build the capacity to teach children with learning impairments, and the number of children with disabilities in mainstream schools. What special measures were being taken to deinstitutionalize children with disabilities? Were the forced institutionalization and forced sterilization of children with disabilities practiced?

The Government had raised the age of mandatory education to 18 years: how was this provision implemented, especially among children from vulnerable groups and in the context of a very high secondary school drop-out rate? Although the education was free, parents were encouraged to make voluntary payments to maintain school facilities, especially in poorer areas, and the Committee was concerned that those payments were in fact obligatory.

The delegation was asked about measures adopted to promote proper breastfeeding, the adherence to the World Health Organization’ International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, and the existence of family-friendly hospitals for the promotion of breastfeeding.

What was the vaccination coverage in rural areas and were all the children covered with routine vaccinations?

Experts also asked about the percentage of the budget allocated to the fight against HIV/AIDS, the percentage of HIV-positive adolescents, and measure to combat the mother-to-child transmission of the virus. Were there drug use prevention programmes and rehabilitation options for drug addicts?

Had the impact of social allowances been evaluated and had it been found sufficient? What was being done to provide housing for the Roma people?

Experts asked a number of questions concerning the situation of children in rural areas and wanted to know whether there were any specific measures targeting this group; efforts to increase the quality of education in rural areas including to provide school transport to increase enrolment and attendance rates; and the access the rural children had to sport and leisure activities.

On migrant children and asylum-seeking children, where were they accommodated and could they access education and healthcare for the duration of their stay in the country?

Taking into account the high level of violence against children and the high suicide rates, was there a helpline for youngsters? Had the staff been properly trained and the children were informed of its existence?

How long was the pre-trial detention of juvenile offenders?

Replies of the Delegation

Responding to questions raised about the situation of children left behind by parents working abroad, the delegation said that they were covered by the special law on children at risk and they were assigned to guardianship authorities. The education staff and the police had the duty to inform the guardianship authorities about the children left behind; an assessment would take place one month later, and the children, with the approval of their parents, would be placed in custody with the extended family. Most people migrated for a period of up to three months; those leaving for longer had to
submit the information on who would look after their children. There were mechanisms for the monitoring of the children left behind: there were 1,100 social assistants who worked with such children and monitored their communication with the parents, which should be daily, and the money the parents sent back.

On the issue of alternative care, the delegation explained that foster care was a new institution introduced in 2010; local authorities prioritized this mechanism and it was present throughout the country. Foster care was offered on long and short term; the setting up of the foster care for children with disabilities was ongoing. The minimum package of statutory services had been established and local authorities received financial assistance to provide adequate care services.

Gatekeeping commissions had been in place since 2007; those were unified structures put in place to determine the best interest of the child, to support the provision of the family support and alternative care services, and to attract the participation of children. Gatekeeping commissions decided jointly with guardianship authorities on the level of allowance offered to poor families. Children could not be separated from family for poverty reasons alone, in line with the United Nations Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.

The deinstitutionalization of children with disabilities was a priority. The process had already started in the two institutions for children with disabilities; community houses or protective houses were envisaged and some local authorities also envisaged placement in foster families. An individual plan was being made for each child to prepare them for deinstitutionalization and an independent life. The country had deinstitutionalized 10,000 children so far and the experience was being transferred to the process for children with disabilities.

The United Nations Children’s Fund was providing technical assistance to the Republic of Moldova in the area of adoption, including to reform the law on adoption. Every year, 100 adoptions were registered at the national level.

Responding to questions raised about child mortality, the delegation explained that the quality of prenatal services had been improved through international projects. Family doctors and nurses received training and a normative act on the care for children at home had been adopted to reduce the level of infant mortality. Special commission investigated each case. Prenatal assistance was regionalized to improve the quality of service.

Child Friendly Youth Centres existed in each region and worked to promote the prevention of early illnesses and raise awareness on sexually transmitted diseases. Each centre had a psychologist who worked with the youth victims of violence, and operated at the primary health care level.

A helpline was in place for violence and related issues, while another one was being developed on reproductive health and nutrition, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund. The hotline on the suicide prevention was run by a non-governmental organization. The 2016, the national campaign against violence and different television shows, workshops and conferences, had promoted the helplines.

Civic education was part of the mandatory education, with electives available on human rights and democracy. The ongoing reform of the school curriculum would further take into account the human rights component.

Concerning leisure and sport, all educational institutions, in both rural and urban areas, had 10-12 hours per week allocated for leisure, including singing, dancing, folklore and theatre. More than one hundred schools had gyms and every region had a children’s centre for leisure which offered additional opportunities to engage in those activities.

The delegation elaborated on the legislative changes made since 2010 to prevent and eradicate child labour, including the 2014 decree by the Ministry of Education which had prohibited the pupils to work on farms. The State inspection guidelines had been adopted and the informative material for children and parents on child labour had been developed with the assistance from the International Labour Organization.

The delegation stated that maybe there was a perceived notion that the number of street children was increasing, however some institutions for the care of street children had closed down due to the decreasing numbers. The problem was most visible in the Chisinau municipality, where 29 children had been identified as living on the streets. It had later turned out that they all had good families and did not suffer from complex emotional and psychological issues. Together with the United Nations Children’s Fund, a study was being conducted to assess the situation of this group of children and devise appropriate response.

The special juvenile justice court had not been set up due to the lack of resources, but there were 65 prosecutors specially assigned to cases involving children, who received regular training. The National Institute for Justice was in charge of the judicial training. The Ministry of Justice had signed a memorandum with the United Nations Children’s Fund and non-governmental organizations on developing a juvenile justice law. The trial of juvenile offenders was prioritized, under the Criminal Code.

On the issue of migrant children, the assistance was being offered to unaccompanied minors receiving international protection and they were included in the child protection system. The guardianship authorities were providing services to migrant children and children were offered interpretation, assistance and accommodation. There was an individual plan on reintegration for each child, including the course on national language.

Housing was provided to socially vulnerable people; a total of 233 Roma people had received social housing between 2010 and 2015.

According to the new Education Code, mandatory education was provided until the age of 18; the implementation of the Code would start this year. The delegation said that 40 per cent of the secondary school graduates continued their studies in the lyceum, 45 per cent went on to vocational schools or continued to work, and five percent went for the studies abroad. A single national curriculum and school plan was in place so there was no discrimination against children from the rural areas.

A project funded by the World Bank provided the equipment to schools to offer adequate access to children with disabilities; many schools were undergoing renovations and had proper toilets. Four hundred vehicles were in place to transport children from villages to schools. On the issue of teaching in mother tongue, 82 percent of the schools were teaching in the official language, 18 percent in Romanian, and some were teaching in Russian.

Parents were not forced to make any payments to school, it was against the law. Moreover, every child received free textbooks. There were cases of parents sending money “in envelopes”, but that was very much on the radar of the Ministry of Education.

There were 11,000 children with all forms of disabilities in the Republic of Moldova, including learning impairments. Forced sterilization was prohibited by the law, and the psychiatric system was being reformed towards a more community-based psychiatry practice.

Concerning breastfeeding, the delegation said that the national nutrition programme had been adopted, child-friendly hospitals initiative was being promoted, and nurses and doctors were undergoing trainings. There was an increase in the breastfeeding rates, in rural and urban areas alike.

The vaccination coverage was decreasing and currently stood at 75 per cent. The 2016 national vaccination programme was in place. The anti-vaccination campaign was prominent so the Government conducted an outreach campaign in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund. The vaccines had been purchased by the State, through the United Nations Children’s Fund platform.

A national HIV/AIDS programme was in place; there were 18,000 infected adults and over 100 children, so a full coverage for their treatment had been planned, with the support of the Global Fund.

A study had shown that one in ten girls and one in three in boys tried cigarettes prior to the age of ten, and 20 percent of children under the age of 11 tried alcohol. Workshops were being conducted in schools to promote healthy lifestyle and prevent alcohol abuse and smoking. Anti-smoking commercials were in place and selling alcohol to youth was prohibited. Rehabilitation programmes for drug addicts existed in each region and non-governmental organizations were involved in this area.

More than 70 percent of the households benefiting from poverty reduction programmes were from rural areas.

The Ombudsman was allowed to assess individual claims and, in exceptional cases, file a court case for massive violations. The law on the Ombudsman was adopted two years ago, and the Government was examining the steps to improve its accreditation status as per the Paris Principles.

On trafficking in persons, the Law on the Rehabilitation of Victims of Trafficking had been adopted, while amendments to the Criminal Code had made a clear distinction between forced labour and sexual exploitation. Counselling was provided to victims of human trafficking in centres across regions, and a crisis centre had been established to accommodate child victims. There had been seven convictions in 2014 for the crime of trafficking in persons.

Concluding remarks

STELA GRIGORAS, Minister of Health, Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova, expressed her gratitude to the Committee Experts for the constructive and useful dialogue. The Committee’s concluding observations would be a manual for the Republic of Moldova to continue improving the situation in residential care and other areas where needed, so that all children would be in their homes and schools. As a small country with limited resources, the Republic of Moldova succeeded in mobilizing resources and utilizing them in a best way to promote children’s rights.

OLGA KHAZOVA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the Republic of Moldova, thanked the delegation for an open and fruitful dialogue. The Committee had an impression that there was a strong political will to improve the situation concerning the rights of the child. The participation of children should be encouraged and the Republic of Moldova should invest more efforts to ensure in practice the children’s right to have a say in all matters that concerned them.



For use of the information media; not an official record

CRC/17/30E