Committee on the Rights of the Child
List of issues prior to submission of the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of the Republic of Moldova *
1.The State Party is invited to submit in writing the information requested below, of 21,200 words maximum, by 15 February 2027. The replies should take into consideration the Committee’s recommendations contained in its concluding observations on the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of the State Party. The Committee may take up all aspects of children’s rights set out in the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto during the dialogue with the State Party.
I.New developments
2.The Committee requests the State Party to provide:
(a)Information on the adoption or reform of laws, policies and programmes and any other type of measures taken, such as the creation or reform of institutions, that are significant for the implementation of the Convention and the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography;
(b)Any other information that the State Party considers relevant in this regard and that is not covered in the replies to the questions below, including information on obstacles and challenges faced.
3.The Committee also requests the State Party to provide information on how a children’s rights-based approach is integrated into the planning, implementation and monitoring of measures for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including with regard to the participation of children and data collection, and how such measures promote the realization of children’s rights under the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto.
II.Rights under the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto
A.General measures of implementation (arts. 4, 42 and 44 (6))
4.Please provide information to the Committee on the following:
(a)Measures taken to ensure that the State Party’s legislation on children’s rights, in particular Law No. 370/2023 on the rights of the child, covers all areas of the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto, provides for enforcement mechanisms and reflects the recommendations of the Committee in different areas;
(b)Steps taken to strengthen implementation of the existing legislation concerning children’s rights, including Law No. 140/2013 on the special protection of children at risk and children separated from their parents, and to assess the impact of the State Party’s legislation before and after adoption;
(c)Implementation of the national child protection programme for the period 2022–2026 and whether it covers all areas of children’s rights under the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto. Please also provide information on the mechanism for the monitoring and evaluation of such programme, as well as its main findings;
(d)Effective operation of the National Council for the Protection of Children’s Rights to coordinate activities relating to the implementation of the Convention in the State Party at the national, regional and local levels and across sectors, as well as to ensure coordination with territorial councils for the protection of children’s rights. Please also clarify the role of the Specialized Commission of the National Council for Human Rights established in 2023 in this regard and provide information on the roles, composition and mandate of, and resources allocated for, the Council and its specialized commission;
(e)Establishment of a system aimed at identifying budget allocations and expenditure on children by specific ministries to guarantee an objective assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of public expenditure on children. Please also provide information on the mechanisms in place to ensure a transparent and equitable distribution of resources for children, especially in rural and marginalized communities;
(f)Efforts made to improve its data collection system, including by establishing a centralized system covering all areas of the Convention, in particular with respect to children in vulnerable situations, including by further enhancing the Child Protection Information System to cover the education, health and justice sectors.
Access to justice and remedy
5.Please inform the Committee:
(a)Whether the State Party provides for child-friendly and independent complaint mechanisms in schools, the foster care system, alternative care settings and places of detention to report violations of children’s rights;
(b)About the measures undertaken in order to inform children, including those in marginalized and vulnerable situations, of the complaint mechanisms and to provide them with legal support.
Independent monitoring
6.Please indicate the measures taken for the effective functioning and independence of the Office of the People’s Advocate for Children’s Rights, including by clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the Office of the People’s Advocate for Children’s Rights and the Office of the People’s Advocate, and for the allocation of sufficient human, technical and financial resources to those entities.
B.General principles (arts. 2, 3, 6 and 12)
Non-discrimination
7.Please provide information on the measures taken to eliminate discrimination against children on all grounds, including multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination, and in all aspects of life. Please also provide information on the measures taken to address discrimination against Roma children, children with disabilities, refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant children, children living in poverty, children living in rural areas and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children.
Best interests of the child
8.Please inform the Committee about the measures taken to ensure that the best interests of the child are a primary consideration when drafting, adopting and reviewing legislation and policies that have an impact on the enjoyment of children’s rights. Please also indicate the measures taken to implement the existing provisions in legislation, including by developing standardized procedures, criteria, tools and training courses to support professionals in assessing and applying this principle.
Respect for the views of the child
9.Please provide information about the following:
(a)Implementation of the Order of the Minister of Labour and Social Protection No. 134 of 15 September 2023, which provides for the right of the child to be heard in child protection matters. Please also inform the Committee of any other rules and regulations to guarantee the right of the child to be heard in any decisions affecting the child, including in civil and criminal courts, migration and asylum-seeking processes and in the context of institutionalization;
(b)Measures in place to ensure that pupil and student boards and councils are established and functioning in all educational establishments, including in rural areas, and to support the active participation of children in marginalized situations, such as Roma children, children with disabilities, migrant, asylum-seeking and refugee children. Please also provide information on the extent and functioning of the Advisory Boards of Children initiated in 2025.
C.Civil and political rights (arts. 7, 8 and 13–17)
Birth registration
10.Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to ensure that all births in the State Party are registered, including the births of Roma children, children born at home and children born to asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant parents, by removing all barriers, including in cases where the parents lack of identity documents and where confirmation from medical personnel is lacking.
Right to privacy and access to appropriate information
11.Please provide information on the measures taken:
(a)To ensure the right to privacy for children in alternative care, including through staff training and the adaptation of living conditions, and to establish a child-specific online privacy framework, enforce relevant legislation and raise awareness around online safety and privacy for children and adolescents;
(b)To ensure that all children in the State Party, including those living in alternative care settings and rural areas, as well as children with disabilities, Roma children and asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant children, have access to child-friendly, age‑appropriate and rights-based information about their rights and available services and support mechanisms.
D.Violence against children (arts. 19, 24 (3), 28 (2), 34, 35, 37 (a) and 39 of the Convention, and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography)
Abuse and neglect, sexual abuse and exploitation
12.Please provide information about the following:
(a)Implementation of the intersectoral mechanism of cooperation for the identification, assessment, referral and monitoring of, and provision of assistance to, children who are victims of violence, including sexual abuse and exploitation and neglect, as established in 2014 and revised in 2024, and efforts made to make the reporting of such cases mandatory for all professionals and the public in general;
(b)Whether the barnahus or similar types of models aimed at preventing revictimization and ensuring access to child-friendly justice are envisaged to be functionally integrated into the above-mentioned intersectoral mechanism;
(c)Measures taken to establish child-friendly reporting mechanisms to report instances of child abuse and neglect and the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, including by raising their awareness and providing a platform for anonymous reporting and reporting without the consent of parents, custodians or legal representatives;
(d)Investigation and prosecution of cases of sexual abuse and exploitation of children, and the sanctions imposed, including the steps taken to ensure that persons who benefit from the services of the sexual exploitation of children in prostitution are brought to justice and to ensure that those convicted of the sexual abuse of children are excluded from having contact with children in their professional capacity;
(e)Existing support services for children who are victims of abuse, neglect, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, including whether there are sufficient shelters, and services to ensure that child victims are protected from revictimization and provided with redress, including compensation and rehabilitation.
Corporal punishment
13.Please provide information on the efforts taken to end the practice of corporal punishment in all settings, including at home, in school and in residential care settings, and to promote positive, non-violent and participatory forms of child-rearing and discipline, including through awareness-raising and education programmes for parents, teachers and care professionals.
Harmful practices
14.Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to amend the State Party’s Family Code, which allows exceptions for the marriage of children under 18 years of age with parental consent and court approval. Please also inform the Committee of the measures taken to adopt a national strategy to prevent child marriages, in particular among the Roma community, and to assess the prevalence and impact of child marriage on the health and well‑being of children.
Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
15.Please inform the Committee about the measures taken to implement the recommendations contained in its concluding observations on the report of the State Party submitted under article 12 (1) of the Optional Protocol and provide information about the following:
(a)Measures to expand and strengthen its preventive measures, including on the Internet, and to establish a mechanism to identify and monitor children in vulnerable situations who are at risk of becoming victims of the offences under the Optional Protocol;
(b)Steps taken to ensure that all elements contained in article 3 of the Optional Protocol are included in its legislation, especially with regard to child sexual abuse material, and to prohibit sexual abuse and exploitation online, including the grooming of all children up to 18 years of age;
(c)Measures to investigate, prosecute and convict the perpetrators of the crimes defined in articles 2 and 3 of the Optional Protocol.
E.Family environment and alternative care (arts. 5, 9–11, 18 (1) and (2), 20, 21, 25 and 27 (4))
Family environment
16.Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to prevent the separation of children from their parents due to migration abroad, poverty and other factors. Please also inform the Committee of the measures taken to support families in vulnerable situations, including by increasing public funding for family support, the recruitment and retention of social workers and the provision of parenting programmes and day care centres.
Children deprived of a family environment
17.Please provide information on the measures taken:
(a)To further strengthen efforts towards the deinstitutionalization of children and to provide family-based care for all children, especially those who are below 3 years of age and children with disabilities;
(b)To expand foster family placement services by allocating sufficient resources, especially in rural areas;
(c)To establish independent monitoring of alternative care settings and to ensure the regular review of placements and confidential mechanisms for reporting cases of the abuse and exploitation of children in such settings. Please also provide information on investigations and prosecutions of such violations and the sanctions imposed on perpetrators;
(d)To support the children of incarcerated parents by enabling their visitation rights and allowing them to maintain a close relationship with their parents if it is in the children’s best interests.
Adoption
18.Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to ensure that the best interests of children are the paramount consideration in adoption procedures, by making a timely determination of the legal status of children deprived of parental care and strengthening the capacity of professionals involved in adoption procedures.
F.Children with disabilities (art. 23)
19.Please provide information on the measures taken:
(a)To provide access for children with disabilities to all areas of life, including recreational and cultural activities, by ensuring reasonable accommodation, especially assistive technology and community-based services, and remove all barriers to their full inclusion in society, including discrimination and stigma;
(b)To ensure that early detection and intervention services are available throughout the country, especially in rural areas;
(c)To provide families with children with disabilities with the necessary support and ensure that all children with disabilities have access to specialized and rehabilitation services, especially in rural areas.
G.Health (arts. 6, 24 and 33)
Health and health services
20.Please provide information on measures taken:
(a)To ensure access to primary healthcare services, including adequate equipment, medicines, supplies and skilled professionals, especially in rural areas;
(b)To strengthen immunization efforts to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases and establish awareness-raising programmes on immunization, especially among the Roma population;
(c)To address the growing challenges in adolescent nutrition, including malnutrition and obesity, poor dietary diversity and limited access to education on nutrition and healthy eating;
(d)To strengthen the quality and availability of mental health services and community-based and school-based mental health programmes, as well as the number and capacity of mental health professionals for children in all parts of the country, especially in rural areas.
Adolescent health
21.Please provide information about the following:
(a)Implementation of the national programme on sexual and reproductive health and rights, 2025–2027, and the measures to provide children and adolescents with sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services, including access to contraceptives and safe abortion. Please inform the Committee whether age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health and rights education is integrated in the school curricula;
(b)Measures to prevent tobacco, alcohol and drug addiction among adolescents, to provide specialized treatment for addiction and to raise awareness among children and adolescent of the negative consequences of the use of these substances.
H.Standard of living (arts. 18 (3), 26 and 27 (1)–(3))
22.Please provide an update on the following:
(a)Measures taken to address the increasing rates of child poverty, in particular in rural areas and among families with children with disabilities and Roma families;
(b)Assessment and impact of the social assistance reform programme, referred to as RESTART, in reducing poverty among children and measures to expand the programme to regions that are not covered;
(c)Access to affordable and adequate housing to asylum-seeking and refugee families with children, including unaccompanied children and those under temporary protection, and Roma families with children;
(d)Access to water and sanitation services in rural areas, including in schools, and in Roma communities.
I.Children’s rights and the environment (arts. 2, 3, 6, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 24 and 26–31)
23.Please provide information about the measures taken to establish a legal commitment, with appropriate resources, to assess the effects of polluted air on children’s health and to implement the existing climate strategies, especially in rural areas. Please also provide information regarding measures taken to ensure that children’s rights are embedded into policies and programmes to address climate change and disaster risk management.
J.Education, leisure and cultural activities (arts. 28–31)
24.Please provide information on the following:
(a)Measures taken to ensure the enrolment, attendance and graduation of all children in primary and secondary education by improving access to education for Roma children, especially girls, refugee children and children living in poverty in rural areas and by addressing such barriers as informal fees, lack of transportation and poor infrastructure;
(b)Steps taken to improve the overall quality of education, especially with regard to schools in rural areas. Please also inform the Committee whether measures have been taken to increase the number of qualified teachers, teaching materials and technology;
(c)Efforts to address violence, including bullying in schools, emotional and physical abuse, sexual harassment and cyberbullying;
(d)Measures taken to increase enrolment, attendance and retention among children with disabilities in mainstream schools and to decrease the number of segregated special education schools and the efforts made to improve the accessibility of schools by providing assistive technology, improved infrastructure, qualified teachers and other support mechanisms;
(e)Accessibility of early childhood education for all children, especially those in rural areas, Roma children and children with disabilities.
K.Special protection measures (arts. 22, 30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37 (b)–(d) and 38–40 of the Convention, and the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict) Special protection measures (arts. 22, 30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37 (b)–(d), and 38–40)
Asylum-seeking and refugee children
25.Please inform the Committee on measures taken:
(a)To ensure the timely identification, registration, referral and protection of unaccompanied and separated children, especially those coming from Ukraine, and ensure the effective implementation of amended Law No. 140/2013, which now extends protection to foreign and stateless children;
(b)To ensure that all asylum-seeking and refugee children and their guardians are systematically provided with information on their rights and obligations and the services available to them;
(c)To allocate sufficient funding to integrate asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant children into the education process and to provide unimpeded access to services, including healthcare services.
Economic exploitation, including child labour
26.Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to prevent children from being engaged in economic exploitation, including in domestic work and “family work”, by enforcing its existing legislation and strengthening labour inspectorates.
Children in street situations
27.Please inform the Committee of the measures taken to study the root causes of children in street situations and to establish legal regulations to provide such children with protection, including shelter, long-term solutions and social protection.
Trafficking
28.Please provide information on the measures taken to combat the trafficking of children, including by allocating sufficient resources for the implementation of the programme for preventing and combating trafficking in human beings, 2024–2028, and the national action plan, training professionals and raising the general public’s awareness of the issue.
Administration of child justice
29.Please share information on measures taken:
(a)To ensure that the detention of children, including pretrial detention, is used as a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible duration and to ensure that children deprived of their liberty have access to quality legal aid by specialized lawyers throughout the procedure, including during their detention;
(b)To implement the amendments to Law No. 140/2013 and government decision No. 270/2014 expanding the child protection system to include children in conflict with the law;
(c)To establish a specialized child justice system across the country, with professionals trained in child psychology and child-friendly communication, and to promote non-judicial measures in cases of children alleged as, accused of or recognized as having infringed criminal law, such as mediation, diversion or non-custodial sanctions.
Children in armed conflict, and implementation of the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict
30.Please inform the Committee about the measures taken to implement its recommendations contained in its concluding observations on the report of the State Party submitted under article 8 (1) of the Optional Protocol, and on the progress made:
(a)To develop systematic awareness-raising, education and training programmes on the provisions of the Optional Protocol for children and all relevant professional groups working with children;
(b)To reduce the period between registration and mandatory enlistment in the armed forces by deferring the registration process until persons become eligible for enlistment at 18 years of age and to ensure that all recruits are informed of their rights to lodge complaints and to avail themselves of recourse mechanisms in case of a violation of their rights;
(c)To establish a mechanism for the early identification of children, including asylum-seeking and refugee children, who may have been involved in armed conflict abroad and to provide physical and psychological recovery and social integration services to such children.
III.Statistical information and data
31.The statistical information and disaggregated data provided by the State Party should cover the period since the consideration of its previous reports on the implementation of the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto. The data should be disaggregated by age, sex, ethnic origin, national origin, type of disability, geographical location and socioeconomic status, as well as by year or other relevant time frame.
32.The provision of tables setting out trends over the reporting period is recommended, and explanations of, or comments on, significant changes that have taken place over the reporting period should also be provided.
A.General measures of implementation (arts. 4, 42 and 44 (6))
33.Please provide information on the budget lines for areas regarding children and the social sectors by indicating the amount and the proportion of each budget line in terms of the total national budget.
B.General principles (arts. 2, 3, 6 and 12)
34.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number of cases and prosecutions brought before the courts on non-discrimination and the sanctions issued to perpetrators.
C.Civil and political rights (arts. 7, 8 and 13–17)
35.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number of children who are not registered at birth or who do not possess birth registration documents and stateless children.
D.Violence against children (arts. 19, 24 (3), 28 (2), 34, 35, 37 (a) and 39 of the Convention, and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography)
36.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the following:
(a)Number of cases of violence against children, including corporal punishment, reported to the authorities, investigated and prosecuted and the sanctions issued to perpetrators, further disaggregated by type of offence;
(b)Number and type of protective measures provided to children who are victims of violence;
(c)Number of cases of child marriage reported to the authorities, investigated and prosecuted.
37.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the following:
(a)Number of reported cases of the sale of children, child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse material;
(b)Number of such cases that have been investigated, prosecuted and sanctioned;
(c)Number of children who have been victims of such crimes who have been provided with recovery assistance or compensation.
E.Family environment and alternative care (arts. 5, 9–11, 18 (1) and (2), 20, 21, 25 and 27 (4))
38.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number and proportion of families and children receiving economic and other type of support services.
39.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number of children in institutional care, and the average number of days of stay, in family- and community-based care, whose parents have migrated abroad, and living in prisons with their mothers.
F.Children with disabilities (art. 23)
40.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number of children with disabilities, and those with disabilities living with their families and living in family- and community-based care, as well as the number of reported cases of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, neglect and sexual violence against children with disabilities placed in institutions, the number of investigations and prosecutions carried out and the sentences issued.
G.Health (arts. 6, 24 and 33)
41.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number of:
(a)Children who have no access to primary healthcare;
(b)Paediatric and mental health services and professionals specialized in young children and adolescents per capita;
(c)Children who are not covered by the immunization programmes;
(d)Children who are stunted, underweight or obese.
42.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number of adolescent mothers, children with drug and alcohol abuse disorder and sexual and reproductive health services available to adolescents.
H.Standard of living (arts. 18 (3), 26 and 27 (1)–(3))
43.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number and proportion of children living under the poverty line and in extreme poverty and the number of children who have no access to water and sanitation services.
I.Children’s rights and the environment (arts. 2, 3, 6, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 24 and 26–31)
44.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number of children who have been affected by environmental degradation, including as a result of landfill burnings, and climate change.
J.Education, leisure and cultural activities (arts. 28–31)
45.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on:
(a)Number and proportion of children between 16 and 18 years of age who are not attending school;
(b)Number and proportion of children who have dropped out of school;
(c)Number of children with disabilities in inclusive education and in separate schools;
(d)Number and proportion of children attending early childhood education and the average years of attendance;
(e)Number of children in public and private education, including religious schools.
K.Special protection measures (arts. 22, 30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37 (b)–(d) and 38–40 of the Convention, and the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict)
46.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, and further disaggregated by country of origin and accompanied or unaccompanied status, on the number of asylum-seeking and refugee children and children in situations of migration, as well as the number of such children who are attending school and who have access to healthcare.
47.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number of children engaged in the labour market, including in “family work”, and in street situations.
48.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, and further disaggregated by the type of violation reported, on the following:
(a)Number of reported cases and the number of children involved in trafficking;
(b)Number of such children who have been provided with access to rehabilitation programmes;
(c)Number and percentage of such cases that have resulted in sanctions, with information on the country of origin of the perpetrator and the nature of the penalties imposed.
49.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, and further disaggregated by the type of crime, on the number of children in detention facilities, and the average duration of stay, further disaggregated by whether they are in pretrial detention, such as in police cells, or in prison, and the number of children referred to diversion and non‑custodial sentencing options.
50.Please provide data, disaggregated as described in paragraph 31 above, on the number of asylum-seeking and refugee children entering the State Party from areas where children may have been recruited or used in hostilities and the number of children who benefit from physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration measures.