Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) - Republic of Moldova (Ratification: 2002)

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Article 6 of the Convention. Programmes of action. Trafficking of children.Noting an absence of information in the Government’s report, the Committee reiterates its request to the Government to provide information on the measures taken to combat the trafficking of children within the framework of the National Strategy for Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings for 2018–23 and its Action Plan, and the results achieved.

Article 7(2). Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (d). Identifying and reaching out to children at special risk. Roma children. The Committee notes with regret an absence of information in the Government’s report concerning the measures taken to ensure access to free basic education for Roma children. The Committee further notes the 2020 report of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe indicating that while there has been an improvement in the access to education of Roma children in the Republic of Moldova, enrolment rates for Roma children still appear to be lower than for non-Roma children at all stages of education (paragraph 65). Recalling that Roma children are at an increased risk of being engaged in the worst forms of child labour, the Committee requests the Government to continue its efforts to facilitate the access of Roma children to free, quality basic education. It requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken in this respect and the results achieved, particularly with regard to increasing the school enrolment rates and reducing the school drop-out rates of Roma children. To the extent possible, this information should be disaggregated by age and gender.

Children deprived of parental care. The Committee observes that according to the National Child Protection Programme for 2022–26 adopted by the Government’s Decree No. 347 of 2022, there has been an overall upward trend in the number of children deprived of parental care (in particular, 12,749 children were identified in 2017, 19,768 children in 2018, and 15,403 children in 2019). The Committee also notes, from the 2020 report of the Group of Experts on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) on the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the Republic of Moldova, that most child victims of trafficking have been deprived of parental care (paragraph 13). Noting an absence of information in the Government’s report, the Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to protect children left without parental care from the worst forms of child labour.