Regional assistance center for children victims of crime opened in Bălți

Chisinau, May 20 / MOLDPRES /- The first Regional assistance center for children victims of crime was inaugurated today in Balti. The institution will provide services to children in Balti and 11 districts in the north of the country, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița, Minister of Labor and Social Protection, Marcel Spatari, Minister of Health, Ala Nemerenco, Minister of Justice, Sergiu Litvinenco, head of the National Center for Prevention of Child Abuse (CNPAC), Daniela Sîmboteanu, representatives of central and local public authorities.

"I am glad that today we are inaugurating an institution that we need in the region. The creation of this Center is another step towards a civilized approach by the state to the social problems generated by crime and neglect. I hope that this Center will be a safe space in which to find relief and support for minors who have gone through traumatic experiences ", said Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița at the event.

The regional center will assist in the collection of evidence in criminal cases involving sexual offenses, child trafficking or domestic violence. The institution will include psychologists, lawyers, medical workers, social workers, as well as investigative judges, prosecutors, police officers, forensic doctors, other specialists authorized to participate in the examination of criminal cases concerning children victims of crime. Thus, minors will benefit from complex assistance, such as special hearing, forensic examination and forensic examination, psychological assistance - under the same roof, in a safe and friendly environment.

The purpose of the service is to prevent the re-trauma of minors during the legal examination and to provide them with coordinated assistance, based on the collaboration of several institutions. In this context, during the event a Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the General Inspectorate of Police, the Superior Council of Magistracy, the General Prosecutor's Office, the National Council for State Guaranteed Legal Aid. The document will ensure the provision of integrated services of legal, medical and social specialists, following the Barnahus model, based on UN, EU and Council of Europe legislation.

According to CNPAC head Daniela Sîmboteanu, “the opening of the Center represents a successful operationalization of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In cases where the right to protection has been violated and the child is forced to contact the justice system, it is a priority to take into account his or her best interests at all stages of the investigation and this may only be done effectively within the center of the Barnahus type ”.

During 2021, there were 374 cases in the Republic of Moldova in which children became victims of sexual offenses.

Photo: Government