Situation Analysis of Children on the Move in Romania
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Protect children on the move Children on the move in Romania: Situational Analysis Title: Children on the move in Romania: Situational Analysis This study has been produced with the financial assistance of the Daphne Programme of the European Union as well as the Oak Foundation. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the project Mario partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission or the Oak Foundation. Children on the move in Romania: Situational Analysis 2014, Bucharest Terre des hommes – Mario project 2. ÎNŢELEGEREA CONTEXTULUI NAŢIONAL Children on the move in Romania: Situational Analysis “When you look out your window, you see a perfect world. When you get out there, it is impossible not to realize that there is no such thing as perfect in this world. Shortly after, you come to realize that the real world pulled you over to blind you from the truth. Then you learn that in the happiest case you are just a statistic. You cannot count on anyone except yourself, and often people don’t count you. You are the invisible nice guy who daily takes his place at the desk. But it is my place, and it is important that I make each day count. Only thinking in this way, I can move to the next step in my life. Tomorrow is another day. Maybe tomorrow is a better one because I will not give up my hopes and I will continue to believe in my chances!” Interview with S., Male, 17 Constanta ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was undertaken with the support and dedication of Terre des hommes and Save the Children Romania, organizations devoted to children and their missions in the best interests of children. These organizations provided the researchers with support throughout the situational analysis process and facilitated access to key stakeholders and to children who directly or indirectly experienced migration and/or exhibited vulnerabilities that can lead them to choose migration as a solution to the problems they face. Further, the research team would like to thank the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection from Constanta, Iasi and Timisoara who dedicated significant resources and efforts and allocated some of their time to the research. We would also like to acknowledge that given the short notice period, all management and staff of these organizations responded in a timely and fulsome way upon receiving notification that their region has been selected for an in-depth analysis of the children on the move phenomenon. This research could not have been completed without essential contribution and support of each professional who participated in the focus groups and interviews representing a wide range of stakeholders including governmental and non-governmental organizations. The input from their own work experiences in relation to children on the move issues was critical for the learnings captured in this report. Deep and sincere appreciation goes in particular to all the children who participated in open conversations and to their parents for consent and support. All of them made substantial efforts and gave up their personal time for sharing life experiences, views, emotions and perception. Their invaluable contribution is a critical ingredient for the adult world including professionals, politicians, mass-media, other interested parties to better understand the needs and desires of our children and the impact of movement on their lives and hopes. 2 2.1. O realitate cu provocări TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................... 2 1.INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 4 1.1. Purpose and Objectives.................................................................................. 4 1.2. Methodological Overview................................................................................ 4 1.2.1. Guiding Principles ................................................................................ 4 1.2.2. Research Process ................................................................................ 5 1.2.3. Sampling .............................................................................................. 6 1.2.4. Special Considerations......................................................................... 7 1.2.5. Data Analysis ....................................................................................... 8 1.3. Challenges and Limitations............................................................................. 8 2. UNDERSTANDING THE NATIONAL CONTEXT ....................................................... 10 2.1. A Challenging Reality.................................................................................... 10 2.2. Invisible Children at Risk............................................................................... 11 2.3. Overview of the Child Protection Framework................................................ 11 2.4. Institutional framework .................................................................................. 13 3. KEY FINDINGS........................................................................................................... 16 3.1. Operational Definitions and Conceptual Underpinnings ............................... 16 3.2. Magnitude of the children on the move in Romania..................................... 17 3.3. Children on the move in Romania: The Emerging Picture ........................... 27 3.4. Needs, Risks, Vulnerabilities and The Impact of Movement........................ 30 3.5. Legislative and Policy Framework in Practice.............................................. 32 3.6. Programs, Services and Standards ............................................................. 33 3.6.1. Accessibility........................................................................................ 34 3.6.2. System Capacity ................................................................................ 38 4. LESSONS LEARNED ................................................................................................. 44 5. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................... 46 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 49 7. APPENDICES............................................................................................................. 52 3 2. ÎNŢELEGEREA CONTEXTULUI NAŢIONAL 1. INTRODUCTION This situational analysis was commissioned by the Terre des hommes Foundation Romania within the context of the Mario Project, a joint action to protect Central and South East European migrant children from abuse, exploitation and trafficking in Europe. This study has been envisioned as a preliminary exercise to inform and guide the work and efforts of Mario project partners and of key private and public stakeholders and develop evidence-based recommendations to effectively address child protection related concerns challenging children on the move during their journey from the country of origin to their destination country. 1.1. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES The situational analysis aims to inform the work and efforts of Mario project partners through the assessment of the existing child protection system in Romania and its capacity to identify and respond to the needs of children on the move, with a specific focus on accessibility and inclusiveness and pro- activity. The goal for conducting an analysis from an accessibility and inclusiveness perspective was to provide Mario project partners with an indication of: • The magnitude of the children on the move phenomenon in Romania; • Children’s perceptions and views on how the movement has affected or might affect their lives; • Whether or not the current child protection system is able to identify and respond to the needs of children on the move/or who are at risk of unsafe migration; • Whether or not the system is safe and inclusive for children on the move or at risk of unsafe migration; • Availability of various types of services in the territory; • Awareness and understanding of available services; and • Legal, administrative and practical obstacles that children on the move may face in accessing services. An analysis from a pro-activity perspective attempts to provide Mario project partners with an indication of: • Structures, tools and methods in the child protection system that allows professionals to prevent children on the move from being neglected, abused and exploited; • Systems and processes for ensuring data collection, monitoring and the utilization of information/data to assist with policy development and interventions; • Resources available in the child protection system and the role of NGOs; and • Mechanisms of both NGOs and governmental agencies for determining and responding to service needs of the children on the move in the community. Overall, the situational analysis intends to contribute to the identification of systemic issues that may call for changes to policy and/or practice by highlighting the strengths and challenges encountered by various stakeholders in their effort to establish priorities for action to improve system’s capacity to find optimum solutions to a wide range of issues affecting the children on the move. 1.2. METHODOLOGICAL OVERVIEW 1.2.1. GUIDING PRINCIPLES In conducting the situational analysis, the research team was guided by the