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In Romania, children under 5 dying from violence and poisoning represent 8.6% of all under-5 deaths. The under-5 mortality rate is decreasing overall. Deaths due to violence and poisoning are also decreasing but at a slower rate, reaching 1.8 children per 1,000 live births in 2002 (UNICEF TransMONEE 2004 database).
Romania is one out of four countries in the CEE/CIS region that has explicitly prohibited corporal punishment of children as a discipline measure in all settings, be it in the home, in schools, in the penal system or in care institutions. Despite of this, systems of child protection are not set up to early identify cases of violence of children. There is to date no data on the numbers of reported cases of violence against children in the country in one year.
Children
under 5 dying from poisoning and violence compared to all causes,
per 1,000 live births (graph)
In 1999-2000 UNICEF conducted a national study of children in institutions which found examples of psychological, emotional and physical abuse. Almost half of those questioned (49%) confirmed the use of beating as punishment and just over 36% were aware that some children had been coerced into sexual practices, often by older children.
Statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs show that many children, including those in families, undergo sexual trauma every year: 379 in 1998, 618 in 2000 and 582 in 2001–numbers that are undoubtedly underestimated.
A national study of abused and neglected children in Romanian families in 2000 found that child beating remains commonplace with 48% of parents admitting that they often punish their children by beating; 10% of children feel that they are exploited by their families; and 13% of parents admit they do not allow their children to go to school.
Resources
Protecting
children from violence, exploitation and abuse in the CEE/CIS
region
Source: UNICEF TransMONEE
2004 |
