There are suspicions of trafficking children in some orphanages in Romania, Labour Minster Dragos Pislaru told a TV show on Sunday.Labour Minister also stated that he received this information from the intelligence services in May, when he took office. At the moment, there are ongoing investigations in four or five orphanages “from the South of the country”.
“I have several cases in the South-East of the country, in which there are suspicions of trafficking in human beings and of prostitution, related to the institutions hosting children. I’m talking about the state institutions in which there is a suspicion that trafficking in children existed. Foster homes, orphanages”, stated Dragos Pislaru for Digi 24.
He also said that many children from the Romanian orphanages are sedated with strong medicines having similar effects to drugs.
“Information will reach to the public opinion after we will see that the evidences are prepared”, Pislaru added.
The shocking statements are coming after about two weeks since seven employees of the Sfanta Maria Social Services Complex within the General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection of the Sector 1, have been remanded by the Court of Bucharest. They are accused of maltreatment of a minor, abuse of office and embezzlement.
Last year only, 1,555 children reached to be cared for by the state.
“There are 1,100 public institutions in Romania in which children not cared of by their parents are protected. Since we reestablished ourselves, we perform inspections. We face relatively frequent with complaints coming from employees, from children or from parents; not all of them are that important as the ones mentioned by Minister Pislaru, but we had this kind of complaints also – trafficking. We sent them further, on our turn”, stated the President of the National Authority for Child’s Rights’ Protection, Gabriela Coman.
The actions this institution can take following an inspection are related to seizing the criminal investigation bodies, who verify such suspicions, she mentioned. “Further, the complaints related to abuses such as tying children or violence against children performed by the employees are immediately seized to the President of the County Council, who is the employer of the personnel in these centers and who can take the adequate measures”, Coman added.
