Moldova French senator Robert Badinter comes to promote children's rights in Chisinau

April 15, 2010

Comment: Chisinau, April 15-16, 2010 – Outstanding French Human Rights advocate and former Minister of Justice in France, Robert Badinter, visits Republic of Moldova on April 15-16 2010, upon the invitation of the UNICEF and the French Embassy in the Republic of Moldova.

He comes to promote the juvenile justice reform in the country, INFO PRIM NEO news agency reports.

The juvenile justice issues in Moldova are a major concern for national authorities and international organizations. According to the UNICEF, infractions committed by juveniles represent about 10 % of the total number of registered infractions. The majority of them are committed by adolescents of 16-17 years old, who had problems even before their placement in detention: many of them were abandoned by their parents, are victims of abuse and parental neglect. The researches carried out in this area show that even brief detention traumatises children, marginalises them and significantly reduces their possibilities to receive the proper education.

During the last decade, there were taken a few major steps to reform the juvenile justice system in Moldova. In 2006 the normative basis regulating the situation of children in conflict with the law were amended. The legal framework was adjusted to the provisions of the UN Convention on the Child’s rights, as well as certain progresses were achieved by implementing the Child and Family Protection National Strategy 2006-2011. In July 2009 the Moldovan Ministry of Justice with UNICEF assistance managed to create the network of public lawyers, specialized on juvenile justice, aimed at providing free legal advice to children all over the country. At the same time it is important to continue reforms in the area of juvenile justice in order to improve the situation of children in conflict with the law.

During his visit in Moldova, Mr. Robert Badinter is going to meet the Moldovan officials and civil society activists working in the area of Children’s Rights in order t discuss and to share French experience in working with children in conflict with the law, add the news agency.

Author of the comments: Nellea Motriuc, information officer, Tdh delegation in the Republic of Moldova

The original article can be found in Info Prim Neo