The situation of children’s rights in Moldova has improved, but not well enough. This is one of the conclusions contained in the first report launched by Moldovan children on August 12.

According to the report “Life in the Child’s View”, which was worked out by 20 children aged between 13 and 17, the children are discriminated and their rights to be protected and to grow up in a healthy family are violated most often. At the same time, the report points to certain progress as regards the observance of children’s rights to expression and to information.

“The children in rural areas are disadvantaged compared with the urban children. The parents of the children living in urban areas have better employment opportunities, while the parents of the rural children prefer to go abroad to find a better job and the children suffer the consequences,” said one of the report authors, Adriana Rosca.

Another report author, Ala Rotaru, said that very often the children at school are abused, the teachers using this method to solve the problems and as educative instrument. Also, the children are violent and discriminate against the children that are different from them by ethnicity, religion, financial situation and physical condition.

The Transdniestrian children are also discriminated, their rights to expression and association being violated. According to the report, these children are deprived of the right to speak their mother tongue, to study in Romanian teaching schools, to meet with children from the right bank of the Dniester and from other countries.

The medical assistance should be provided to chidden free of charge, but the medical personnel often pay increased attention to the children from wealthier families. At the same time, the hygiene norms in pediatric medical institutions are of the lowest quality.

The children consider that they should permanently monitor how their rights are observed. Therefore, this July they set up a group composed of children that will monitor how the legislation in the area is implemented during two years. The authorities, especially the divisions in charge of child’s rights protection, education, health and social assistance, will be familiarized with the monitoring results.

The report “Life in the Child’s View” was prepared by the Information and Documentation Center on Children’s Rights with support from the Swedish organization “Save the Children” (“Radda Barnen”).

The report was submitted to the Human Rights Committee in Geneva, which will examine it together with the Moldovan Government’s Report and with the NGO Complementary Report on the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.//REPORTER.MD


Publication date: 12 August 2008   

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