As part of the UNESCO NGO Committee of the Executive Board meeting in May, a one day debate and round table discussion on International Migration is planned. NGOs with experience in this area have been invited to share their experiences. In response, Soroptimist International has submitted a summary paper outlining the work SI does to protect vulnerable children in Moldova, particularly those of migrant parents, through SI’s project, ‘Hopes and Dreams for Everyone’. A summary of the paper follows. The full submission will be made available shortly on the UNESCO page of the SI website.

Context:

In

Moldova, Migration for employment has led to the emergence of a new social category of children in

Moldova: social orphans. 27.6% of

Moldova’s children have one parent abroad and 9.3% of the children have both parents abroad. These children, left behind as a result of migration, have a far weaker support network, fewer opportunities to continue in education and therefore, fewer employment opportunities. They are more vulnerable to drug abuse, school dropout, early sexual relations, trafficking and exploitation through work and possible psychological effects, as the impact of this combination of circumstances take effect. 

In

Moldova there are 67 state institutions (boarding schools) for orphans, children with parents deprived of parental rights or children abandoned by their parents, many of whom have migrated to search for work. All in all, there are 12,500 children in these institutions.

Trafficking:

Trafficking remains a significant problem in

Moldova. High levels of poverty, poor economic opportunities, a weak judicial culture amongst the youth, an absence of effective information dissemination strategies on the dangers of trafficking, insufficiently developed prevention and recovery services and a shortage of specialised personnel are among the factors that contribute to high rates of trafficking in human beings.

Mainly due to the vulnerabilities associated with poverty, women and girls in

Moldova are widely exposed to trafficking. Among the most exposed are girls who, for a variety of reasons (including ‘social orphans’), are living in boarding schools. By the age of 16, they are out of the school system. They have nowhere to live and in most cases, no provision is made for their care or continuing education.

Hopes and Dreams for Everyone:

SI’s project, ‘Hopes and Dreams for Everyone’, is carried out in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (
IOM) and the Child Rights Information Centre (CRIC).  The project activities provide opportunities for institutionalised and post institutionalised children. Our aim is to approach this vulnerable group by giving them knowledge about the danger of trafficking, a chance to gain an education, a stable place to live and employment possibilities.

The project works with four boarding schools in
Northern Moldova. The target groups are those girls aged 13-16 who are still in boarding school, and those aged 16-18 who have just left school. We also support victim/survivors of trafficking who have managed to return home.

Participants are part of a programme to raise their level of education and equip them with the vital skills they need to combat vulnerabilities.

• Life -skill education is a development program for achieving good social integration. The programme covers career guidance, sex education, violence at home and communication with public offices.
• Support to continue in education (vocational schools, high schools or colleges). Career counselling and support during the application process is provided. They receive a housing allowance and a living allowance. Social assistants monitor and support them.

In the first phase of the project the following has been achieved:

• More than 300 girls age 13 to 16 attended Life-skill education training courses;
• 30 teenagers (girls and boys) received support through high school/college;
• 9 social assistants were trained to support the girls;

This project is on going. For more information about the project, please visit the project pages. We look forward to being able to share the successes of the programme as the project continues.