«Developing partnerships for protection and reintegration of children, victims of trafficking, violence and exploitation. Transnational aspect» Antonina Comerzan, National Coordinator FACT- Transnational actions 25. May 2007 Tallinn

Why FACT? Out-migration from Moldova (economic situation, unemployment, low wages, changes in values, etc.) Increase in the number of children going abroad (Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Portugal) FACT I FACT II

Why FACT? 2004 Preliminary study on children (6 districts) Aspiration to migrate to the Western countries Vs. simplified border-crossing procedure on the Eastern border + no language barrier Mapping of cases when children are exploited for begging and seasonal work (Russia / Ukraine) Categories of children going abroad: From poor families From rural areas From families-at-risk School graduates Invalids, etc.

Goal of the FACT project Creating conditions for permanent interdepartmental co-operation between the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation for the purposes of detection, protection, repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration of children - citizens of Moldova, victims of trafficking, violence and exploitation.

Categories of children whom we work with: Moldavian children (up to 18) – victims of violence, exploitation and/or trafficking (found across the border of Moldova, disregarding their place of birth) Child victims of violence, exploitation and/or trafficking, repatriated by other organizations but in need for further assistance; Abandoned children, including those abandoned at birth (regarded as victims of violence) Children exploited in hard labor, including those found across the border of Moldova (ILO Convention 182) Children at risk of becoming victims of violence, exploitation and/or trafficking (within the territory of the Republic of Moldova)

FACT partners Agencies for social protection and guardianship - Ministry of Education and Youth; District level – department for education, youth and sport; Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child Department for social protection of the citizens District departments for social protection of the citizens; Social inspectors and social workers (on the local level) Local administration Local administration (community/city councils) Temporary Residence Centers for Children ; Boarding schools

FACT partners Ministry of Health Ministry of Health: Centre for temporary residence and rehabilitation of young children, Chisinau (former Republican Children's Home); District hospitals and Family doctor centers (former District Departments of Health); Family doctors (former district doctors) Ministry of Internal Affairs Ministry of Internal Affairs: Centre for Temporary Maintenance of Children, Chisinau; Departments for youth affairs and district inspectors for youth affairs (under 18) – within the district police commissariats; District police inspectors

FACT partners Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry of Informational Development Ministry of Informational Development National Council for Child Rights Protection National Council for Child Rights Protection District councils for child rights protections Local councils for child rights protections UNICEF UNICEF SDC/DDC SDC/DDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation) OSCE OSCE

Repatriation procedure (RVA) 1.Identification – withdrawal Child identification Placing the child into a child institution Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation, Agencies for social protection and guardianship 2. Protection in the country where the child is found Defining the childs legal situation Medical-psychological investigation Filling in the Card of registration Informing the agency for social protection Police Ministry of the Interior of the RF, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RM, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the RM (Embassy), Child Institution Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the RM (Embassy)

Repatriation procedure (RVA) 3. Coordination and information exchange with the country of origin Coordination and information exchange between the responsible departments Controlling the authenticity of all the documents that the child has Actualization of the institution (in RF) – confirmation from the Russian institution regarding the childs placement there Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Education and Youth (Moldova), children institutions in Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Youth (Moldova), Local administration Ministry of Education and Youth (Moldova)

Repatriation procedure (RVA) 4. Search for/ identification of the family Establishing parents identity Family investigation in Moldova Ministry of Education and Youth, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Local administration Ministry of Education and Youth, Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child, Local administration 5. Outlining the plan for repatriation (time frames, conditions, preparation of the child) Preparation of the documents Preparation of the child for repatriation Children institutions (RF) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RF) Ministry of Education and Youth (RM) Ministry of Finance, Tdh

Repatriation procedure (RVA) 6.Repatriation/ protection of the child in the country of origin Planning of the repatriation mission Implementation of the repatriation missions Preparation of the travel documents Purchasing tickets Financing travel expenses Defining protection agency in charge for the child Informing the institution in the country of destination about the means of protection for the child after his return Ministry of Education and Youth RM, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Education and Youth RM Ministry of Finance RM, Ministry of Education and Youth RM, Tdh Ministry of Education and Youth RM, local administration Ministry of Education and Youth RM, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Repatriation procedure (RVA) 7. Reintegration plan in the country of origin Assigning an institution for temporary residence of the child Assessment of the psycho- emotional condition of the child Investigation of the family situation and evaluating the possibility for the childs return Elaborating the childs Reintegration plan Monitoring and evaluation of the Reintegration plan Ministry of Education and Youth RM / Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child Children institution Ministry of Education and Youth RM / Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, local administration Ministry of Education and Youth RM / Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child, local administration, Children institution Agency of social protection

Repatriation procedure (RVA) 8. Reintegration into the family 9. Monitoring of the childs living in the family Visit to the family Elaboration of the questionnaire regarding social position of the family Determining conditions for the childs placement into the family Agencies for social protection and guardianship

Conditions for initiating of the Repatriation procedure Determining institutions and partners involved in the procedure Determining responsible staff members from each of the involved institutions/structures Operational information exchange between the parties (identification of the child, preparation/restoration of his/her documents, defining the legal status of the child, tracing the circumstances of the childs arrival and stay in the country, etc.) Determining financial sources for each step of the procedure Drafting and signing the Agreement on child protection and repatriation (citizens of the Republic of Moldova)

Work with the family in the process of repatriation identification Family identification stage : Documented confirmation of the parents identity Confirmation of the childs identity and citizenship Defining parents place of living Looking for other relatives (extended family) Preliminary determination of the conditions for the childs return to his/her family Motivating the family

Working with the family in the process of repatriation Assistance to the family in the course of rehabilitation and reintegration of the child: (together with partners) Legal assistance (restoration of the documents) Education (placement in a child educational institution, professional training, liquidation of educational gaps and illiteracy, individual learning) Medical and psychological rehabilitation Material support on the first stage of family reintegration (3-12 months)

Working with the family in the process of repatriation Partnership on the community level Local administration Примэрия Educational institutions Council for the rights of the child District police inspector Family doctor Childs relatives NGOs Local economic community Alternatives to the return to the biological family Guardianship; Family type childrens home Temporary residence centre for children Boarding school Adoption

Instruments in use during the Repatriation procedure Childs registration card (filled in by the children institution) Childs history (composed on the basis of prior visits to the family, preliminary study of the familys life conditions) Individual plan of reintegration of the child (preliminary; approved; amended)

Individual plan of integration of the child Individual plan of integration of the child (PIC) Individual plan of integration of the child (PIC) - (preliminary; amended): 1. Investigation of the family life conditions (material) Coordinated planning of the childs occupation and education (medical treatment, education, professional training) Motivation and responsibility of the family Legal support to the family 2. Human and financial resources (local administration, social funds, etc.) Basis of PIC: Preliminary evaluation of the family life conditions (prior to repatriation); Additional evaluation (after repatriation); Assessment of the childs present situation (done by the Russian and Moldavian experts after repatriation) Actions/measures aiming at rehabilitation and reintegration (foreseen by PIC) (Local administration – local agency for social protection – local Councils for child rights protection – children institution – Tdh/ FACT project, IOM, NGOs and non- governmental funds) Permanent monitoring ( local agency for social protection – children institution – Tdh - IOM)

Statistics Registered children: as of 20. February as of 1. November as of 15. May Repatriation missions - 9 Repatriated children - 89 incl.: December December January – 25. December January – 1. April

Statistics Repatriated children (89): Born in the RF - 19 Migrated with parents - 51 Migrated alone - 1 Migrated with relatives - 9 Migrated with other adults - 9 Abandoned in the streets/apartment - 34 Begging, working -23

Results ( January 2005 – April 2007) Transnational protection Out of 89 repatriated children: 58 (re-) integrated into the family (53 – biological family / extended family / guardianship, 5 – adopted), 31 - the process of determining the best form of protection for them is currently ongoing (living in various institutions, including 11 children whose parents have not returned to Moldova for different reasons: they are in custody, they are sought by police, they dont want to come back yet)

Perspectives Creating of the Regional regulative mechanism regarding the process of children identification in the country where they are found in the situation of risk and the procedure of their repatriation to the country of origin; Concluding interstate agreements regarding mutual responsibility to provide care and facilitate return of the children to their country of origin; Elaborating and signing bilateral agreements in the field of child protection and repatriation (special cases); Elaborating and implementation of a unified mechanism of identification, protection, repatriation and reintegration of the Moldavian children (Moldova-Russia-Ukraine)

Contact us In Moldova: MD Chisinau Kogalniceanu str. 81/1 tel.( ) ; fax ( ) In Russia: , Moscow Rozhdestvenka str.,7; оffice 212 Tel/fax (+7 495)

Thank you for your attention