Ukraine Sad "Vacations"

April 10, 2009

Comment: According to the Ukrainian newspaper a large-scale police operation took place in the streets of Odessa at the end of March called “vacations”. The law enforcement authorities confirm that the goal of this operation was to remove abandoned children from the streets and also to detect those involve into illegal activities and drug users. Not less than 265 minors have been identified, 30 of them have been directed to shelters and 13 to medical institutions.

The newspaper emphasizes that the phenomenon of children in street situation in Odessa does not reduce, despite the efforts produced by the police for minors and by the social workers of shelters.

Cross checking this information with NGO street workers active in Odessa at the same period, it seems that this information is not in accordance with their conclusions. The presence of abandoned or marginalised children is confirmed, but no information was gathered about such operation in the streets.

According to social actors from the civil society, visible efforts have been made for the past five years to try to find appropriate solutions for the children wandering in the streets of Odessa. The phenomenon seems to be regressing. Still some children are visible in some locations of the city, involved in begging and petty crime, and exposed to high health risks because of regular injection of home-made drug.

Read more news about the recent activities of Tdh between Moldova and Ukraine here