Five out of every hundred children forced to work

Comments from my source A: I thought the GOR and EU were so afraid that FOREIGNERS would do these sorts of things that they outlawed international adoptions. Maybe they should have looked a little closer at the log in their own eye. And I'm personally certain that the figures are low. How that "isn't a serious problem" is beyond me and is so typical of the denial of reality that goes on here. Haven't seen much done about prostitution and begging either.

Five out of every hundred children forced to work

Denisa Maruntoiu

Approximately five percent of Romania children between five and 17 years are forced to work, according to a statistical report presented yesterday by the Ministry of Work and the International Work Bureau (BIM).

Several NGOs along with territorial work inspectorates discovered that about 141,000 out of 3,866,438 children need to work to earn money for their families. The report also states that only one percent of the working children are tracked down by the authorities.

The children saved by authorities are usually sent back to school and benefit from training and counseling programs to help them resume normal life. However, the authorities consider the problem of working children is not very serious, as due to several government programs, the number of such children has significantly decreased.

The BIM feels proper laws are needed to prevent child exploitation. In addition, the NGOs said that the authorities should get more involved in combating child prostitution and begging, as these are the most serious threats.

The report's presentation took place in an unusual venue, at the ruins of the Hungers' Circus building in Rahova, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Bucharest. The authorities also screened a film that showed several children cleaning windscreens, making bricks and sweeping floors. In the film, several pediatricians, psychologists and teachers talked about the negative consequences of this phenomena and offered advice on how to deal with it.

Copyright C 2004 Bucharest Daily News