Convention on the Rights of the Child
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UNITED NATIONS CRC Convention on the Distr. Rights of the Child GENERAL CRC/C/ROM/4 18 November 2008 Original: ENGLISH COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 44 OF THE CONVENTION Third and fourth periodic reports of States parties due in 2007 * ** ROMANIA [1 November 2007] * In accordance with the information transmitted to States parties regarding the processing of their reports, the present document was not edited before being sent to the United Nations translation services. ** Annexes can be consulted in the files of the Secretariat. GE.08-45181 (E) 191108 181208 CRC/C/ROM/4 page 2 CONTENTS Chapter Paragraphs Page Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 - 7 6 I. GENERAL MEASURES OF IMPLEMENTATION ....................... 8 - 156 7 II. DEFINITION OF THE WORD “CHILD” ........................................ 157 - 204 31 III. GENERAL PRINCIPLES ................................................................. 205 - 285 38 A. Non-discrimination .................................................................... 228 - 259 41 B. Best interests of the child ........................................................... 260 - 267 45 C. The right to life, survival and development ............................... 268 - 276 47 D. Respect for the views of the child .............................................. 277 - 285 48 IV. CIVIL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS ................................................. 286 - 447 49 A. Name and nationality ................................................................. 286 - 301 49 B. Preservation of identity .............................................................. 302 - 329 51 C. Freedom of expression ............................................................... 330 - 353 54 D. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion ............................ 354 - 364 57 E. Freedom of association and peaceful assembly ......................... 365 - 367 58 F. Protection of privacy .................................................................. 368 - 383 59 G. Access to appropriate information ............................................. 384 - 387 60 H. The right not be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments or punishment, including corporal punishment .................................................. 388 - 447 61 V. FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND ALTERNATIVE CARE ............ 448 - 719 70 A. Parental guidance ....................................................................... 448 - 455 70 B. Parental responsibilities ............................................................. 456 - 487 85 C. Separation from parents ............................................................. 488 - 563 76 D. Family reunification ................................................................... 564 - 576 85 CRC/C/ROM/4 page 3 CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page E. Recovery of maintenance for the child ...................................... 577 - 582 87 F. Children deprived of a family environment .............................. 583 - 621 88 G. Adoption .................................................................................... 622 - 644 95 H. Illicit transfer and non-return ..................................................... 645 - 674 100 I. Abuse and neglect, including physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration ............................................... 675 - 707 103 J. Periodic review of placement .................................................... 708 - 719 108 VI. BASIC HEALTH AND WELFARE ................................................. 720 - 897 109 A. Survival and development ......................................................... 720 - 725 109 B. Children with disabilities ........................................................... 726 - 766 110 C. Health and health services ......................................................... 767 - 852 117 D. Social security and childcare services and facilities .................. 853 - 890 138 E. Standard of living ...................................................................... 891 - 897 144 VII. EDUCATION, LEISURE AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES .......... 898 - 1020 145 A. Education, including vocational training and guidance ............. 898 - 974 145 B. Aim of education with reference also to quality of education .................................................................................... 975 - 985 162 C. Rest, leisure, recreation and cultural and artistic activities ....... 986 - 1020 164 VIII. SPECIAL PROTECTION MEASURES ........................................... 1021 - 1400 169 A. Children in situation of emergency ........................................... 1021 169 1. Refugee children ................................................................ 1022 - 1094 169 2. Children in armed conflicts, including physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration ............... 1095 - 1103 179 CRC/C/ROM/4 page 4 CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page B. Children in conflict with the Law .............................................. 1104 - 1129 181 1. The administration of juvenile justice ............................... 1130 - 1137 184 2. Children deprived of their liberty, including any form of detention, imprisonment or placement in custodial settings ............................................................................... 1138 - 1144 185 3. The sentencing of juveniles, in particular the prohibition of capital punishment and life imprisonment .................... 1145 187 4. Physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration ....................................................................... 1146 - 1162 187 C. Children in situation of exploitation, including the physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration ................. 1163 - 1357 189 1. Economical exploitation, including child labour ............... 1163 - 1173 189 2. Drug abuse ......................................................................... 1174 - 1237 191 3. Sexual exploitation and sexual abuse ................................ 1238 - 1263 203 4. Other forms of exploitation ............................................... 1264 - 1291 207 5. Sales, trafficking and abduction ........................................ 1292 - 1357 210 D. Children belonging to a minority or an indigenous group ......... 1358 - 1371 220 E. Children living or working on the street .................................... 1372 - 1400 222 IX. OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS TO THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD ........................................................ 1401 - 1512 226 A. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography ............................................................................... 1401 - 1507 226 B. The Optional Protocol on the Convention regarding the rights of the children involved in armed conflict ....................... 1508 - 1512 240 CRC/C/ROM/4 page 5 CONTENTS (continued) Annexes I. Children’s report on the observance of children’s rights in Romania II. Legislation III. Statistical data IV. The measures adopted by Romania to the recommendation made by the Committee on the previous country report V. List of the institutions that have contributed to the elaboration of the report CRC/C/ROM/4 page 6 Introduction 1. Child protection has been a priority for all of Romania’s governments from 1990 to the present day. Before this period many children were kept in institutions in inhuman and harsh conditions. Romania launched child protection reforms in the early 1990s after having been frequently accused of not being able to care of its children. 2. The first laws adopted accorded considerable importance to placing children in institutions. This was a continuation of the approach taken by the old regime, which saw adoption as an affordable solution for families that could not take proper care of their children. 3. It subsequently became clear that the role played by institutions and the State in child protection should be decreased as it had become obvious that the education and developmental needs of huge numbers of children were not well served by this institutional framework. A decision was therefore taken to close down these institutions and replace them with family type homes offering protection to a smaller number of children. This arrangement offered these children similar conditions to those they would find in a normal family, as well as better educational conditions. 4. Such measures needed of course a new legislative framework that should adapt itself to the new objective necessities of the system but also to the new demands imposed on Romania during the European Union accession process, which had become a national objective. In 2005 a new legislative package was introduced and brought a number of fundamental changes in Romania’s child protection system. The new legislation is based on the principles contained in the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The new laws contained principles which recognized the primary role of the family in raising and caring for children. Institutions took on a less important role and were only considered after all other family type protection measures had been considered. 5. Thus, the role of State institutions was redefined. Their role was to