a-5839 (ACC-MDA-5839)
Nach einer Recherche in unserer Länderdokumentation und im Internet können wir Ihnen zu oben genannter Fragestellung Materialien zur Verfügung stellen, die unter anderem folgende Informationen enthalten:
Das US Department of State (USDOS) berichtet im März 2007 im Menschenrechtsbericht über die Republik Moldau folgendes über die Situation von Kindern: Obwohl es keine umfassenden und offiziellen Daten gebe, nehme man an, dass Vernachlässigung und Missbrauch von Kindern trotz eines gesetzlichen Verbotes weit verbreitet seien. Kinderarbeit und der Handel mit Kindern, die zur Prostitution oder zum Betteln gezwungen würden, hätten im Berichtszeitraum 2006 ein Problem dargestellt. Die Situation von Kindern in Waisenhäusern sei im Allgemeinen sehr schlecht gewesen – Geldmangel habe zu Problemen wie schlechte Ernährung, ungenügende Fürsorge („Lagerung“ der Kinder), fehlende Heizung und Krankheiten geführt. Nicht alle Kinder in Heimen seien Waisenkinder – immer mehr würden von ihren Eltern abgegeben, wenn diese auf der Suche nach Arbeit das Land verließen. Laut Angaben des Innenministeriums seien 2006 231 minderjährige Alkoholiker, 146 minderjährige Drogenabhängige und 897 obdachlose Minderjährige gemeldet worden, 733 Kinder hätten die Schule abgebrochen. NGOs schätzen diese Zahlen eventuell höher ein. Kinder seien sowohl zur Zwangsarbeit und Bettelei, als auch zur Zwangsprostitution gehandelt worden. Die meisten Opfer von Kinderhandel seien zu Hause sexuell oder körperlich missbraucht worden und bereit gewesen, ein hohes Risiko einzugehen, um der erlebten Gewalt zu entkommen. Der Handel mit Waisenkindern habe sich im Laufe des Jahres laut Center for Prevention of Trafficking in Women verringert:
„While the law prohibits child neglect and specific forms of abuse, such as forced begging, child abuse was believed to be widespread. Although there were no comprehensive or official statistics on the problem, the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention NGO registered 116 cases of abuse during the year. Observers alleged that women begging on the streets of Chisinau continued to sedate their infants to spend long hours begging.
Trafficking of children for the purpose of sexual exploitation and begging remained a problem. (see section 5, Trafficking). Child labor was a problem (see section 6.c. and 6.d.).
The situation of children in orphanages and other institutions was generally very poor. Low funding caused major problems such as inadequate food, "warehousing" of children, lack of heat in winter, and disease. In 2005, according to the Ministry of Education, there were approximately 11,500 institutionalized children. Not all institutionalized children were orphans; the number of children entrusted to the government by needy parents or by parents leaving the country to look for work reportedly continued to grow. The government estimated that the number of children entrusted to relatives or placed in boarding by parents working abroad was approximately 20,000.
During the year, the interior ministry reported that its records of troubled minors included 231 alcoholics, 146 drug addicts, 897 homeless minors, and 733 children who stopped attending school. However, according to NGOs, the numbers of troubled minors may well exceed the government's official statistics.
Women and children were trafficked for sexual exploitation, and men and children were trafficked to Russia and neighboring countries for forced labor and begging. The country was also a transit point for victims trafficked from Ukraine. Victims were increasingly trafficked to Russia and countries of the Middle East, such as Turkey, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to International Organization for Migration (IOM), 12 percent of the trafficking victims it assisted were minors under 18 years of age. The IOM also noted that the percentages of victims trafficked from rural and urban areas closely corresponded to residence statistics from the country's 2004 census. Most victims had suffered some form of sexual or physical abuse at home and were willing to face significant risk to escape abuse. Trafficking of orphans reportedly decreased during the year, according to the Center for Prevention of Trafficking in Women.” (USDOS, 6. März 2007, Sek. 5)
UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) veröffentlichte zusammen mit UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) und der Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa (OSZE) einen Bericht über Menschenhandel in Südosteuropa 2005, dem folgende Informationen zu entnehmen sind: Es gebe in der Republik Moldau 68 Wohnheime für Kinder, davon 19 allgemeine Internate, drei Kinderheime und drei Waisenhäuser für 0- bis 6-Jährige. Die Kinder seien in den Heimen isoliert, könnten nicht die nötigen sozialen Fähigkeiten entwickeln, um sich in die Gesellschaft zu integrieren und würden daher die Anstalten mit einem hohen Risiko verlassen, Opfer von Menschenhandel zu werden.
Laut Bildungsministerium seien etwa 15 000 Kinder ohne elterliche Fürsorge, die meisten würden bei Verwandten leben. 70 % der Kinder in Internaten seien Sozialwaisen. Die einzige Form der Unterstützung von Kindern in schwierigen Situationen sei die Einweisung in ein Heim, andere Betreuungsformen gebe es nicht. Wenn die Jugendlichen mit 15 bis 16 Jahren die Heime verlassen, hätten sie, abgesehen von einer einmaligen Zahlung von 70 US $, keinerlei Unterstützung und keine Betreuung, und es gebe keine Überwachung ihres weiteren Lebensweges. Viele Opfer von Menschenhandel seien minderjährig und in Heimen aufgewachsen. In den Jahren 2003 und 2004 habe es vermehrt Anhaltspunkte über den Handel von Kindern nach Russland gegeben. Trotz eines landesweiten Plans zur Bekämpfung von Menschenhandel gebe es keine speziellen Programme für Jugendliche:
“Life Skills Education (LSE) for children and youth, particularly vulnerable children at high-risk of being trafficked, is also being supported. In Moldova there are 68 residential institutions for children comprising 19 general boarding schools, 3 institutions of residential child care and 41 boarding schools for children with special needs (light and medium mental or/and physical disabilities) under the Ministry of Education, three orphanages for children aged between 0 and 6 under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and 2 institutions for children with special needs (severe mental and physical disabilities) under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. […] Institutionalised children are isolated and have no opportunity to communicate with others, thus they cannot integrate into society as they have not developed the life and socialisation skills for independent community living. They leave the institution highly vulnerable to the risks of being trafficked.
Ministry of Education - Moldova
Approximately 15,000 children in Moldova are without parental care. Most of the children whose parents are working abroad are not institutionalised but living with relatives. Seventy percent of children living in boarding schools are social orphans, placed in an institution by their parents, often when they migrate, while alternative forms of care do not exist. Institutionalisation is the only form of protection for children in difficult situations. Young people leave the institutions after the 9th grade, when they are 15-16 years old. Children leaving institutions are not offered any form of support, except 70 US$ upon departure. Their circumstances are not monitored and there is no follow up or contact made at later stages. Thirty percent of Moldovan victims of trafficking were trafficked when they were minors and 10 percent of victims have grown up in childcare institutions.
As of 2003/4, there has been a visible decline in the number of women returning from the West Balkans, especially from BiH, FYR Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro, at the same time as more women are returning from Turkey and Russia. There is also more evidence of children being trafficked to Russia. Children are victimised in two ways, through cruelty and maltreatment, and through being forced into begging and prostitution. As the western border of Moldova is better controlled, there is more evidence of trafficking through Ukraine and to Russia, and less about trafficking through Romania. Despite the NPA programme [National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings] there are, however, still no special programmes that target categories of marginalised youth, nor any counselling for potential victims, such as people looking for a job.” (UNICEF, 2005a)
2006 begründet UNICEF ein Projekt für Kinder, die in Heimen in Moldawien aufwachsen, mit Studienergebnissen, denen zufolge diese Kinder einem mehrfach höheren Risiko ausgesetzt seien, Menschenhandel zum Opfer zu fallen, als andere Kinder:
“Another example of where evidence-based risk factors can be used to guide programming is seen in Moldova, where UNICEF has been supporting a life-skills education project for children growing up in residential care institutions. Research indicates that children in these institutions were several times more vulnerable to trafficking than the rest of the child population. The project uses participatory methods and a life-skills-based approach to raise children’s awareness of the dangers of trafficking and build their capacity to understand and exercise their rights.” (UNICEF, 2006a)
Auf der Website der Zeitung Tiraspol Times erscheint im März 2007 ein Artikel über die boomende Zwangs- und Kinderprostitution in der Republik Moldau. Moldawien sei das ärmste Land Europas und der weltweit größte Exporteur von Kindern, die zur Prostitution gezwungen würden. Organhandel und Zwangsprostitution seien die Hauptstandbeine der moldawischen Wirtschaft, und das Land sei das weltweit bedeutendste Zentrum für Pädophilie und international agierende Menschenhändler:
“The poorest country in Europe is also the world's top exporter of forced child prostitution. The registered daily income of 80% of the population is below $1 per day.
Organ trafficking and sexual slavery are mainstays of Moldova's economy. Record numbers of Moldovan women are made into sex slaves, forced into prostitution and lifelong servitude.
Moldova holds a dubious world record: The country is today the leading haven for pedophiles and for traffickers who earn fortunes enslaving underage kids in a brutal international sex trade.” (The Tiraspol Times, 12. März 2007)
Ein Artikel der Serie “Real Lives”, die im Zuge des Jahresberichts von UNICEF Ende 2005 entstanden ist, enthält folgende Informationen: Hohe Arbeitslosigkeit, extreme Armut und steigende Gewalt gegen Frauen hätten die Republik Moldau zu einem der wichtigsten Länder für Menschenhandel gemacht, sowohl als Ausgangsland als auch als Transitland. 30 % der 1 302 moldawischen Opfer von Menschenhandel seien unter 18 Jahre alt gewesen. Während von Handel mit Kindern normalerweise Mädchen betroffen seien, die zur Prostitution gezwungen werden, gebe es immer mehr Handel mit jüngeren Kindern, die zur Zwangsarbeit und Bettelei herangezogen würden. Besonders gefährdet seien Waisen und Kinder aus armen, benachteiligten und zerrütteten Familien, und Kinder, die in Heimen aufwachsen, hätten ein zehnfaches Risiko, Opfer von Menschenhandel zu werden:
„High levels of unemployment, extreme poverty and increasing violence against women have made the Republic of Moldova a major point of origin and transit for trafficking in women and children for the purpose of sexual exploitation – to the Balkans, other European countries and the Middle East. From January 2000 to June 2004, 1,302 victims of trafficking from the Republic of Moldova have been officially identified and assisted by different organizations; 30 per cent were below the age of 18 at the time they were trafficked.
According to Kirsten Di Martino, a UNICEF Child Protection Officer, trafficking of children usually involves adolescent girls who are trafficked for sexual exploitation, but there is increasing evidence of younger children being trafficked for forced labour and begging. Some groups of children are particularly vulnerable, including orphans and children from poor, disadvantaged and dysfunctional families. Children growing up in institutions are 10 times more vulnerable to trafficking than other children.” (UNICEF, 2005b)
Das Danish Programme Against Human Trafficking (DANATIP) beschreibt die Republik Moldau als eines der Hauptländer für Menschenhandel. Die International Organization for Migration (IOM) habe festgestellt, dass die Zahl der nach Russland gehandelten Kinder gestiegen sei. Es mangle scheinbar an Information und Bewusstsein über besonders gefährdete Gruppen wie in Heimen untergebrachte Kinder und Sozialwaisen, deren Eltern ausgewandert seien. Extrem gefährdet seien Kinder, die familiäre Gewalt erfahren hätten. Die potentiellen Opfer von Menschenhandel seien sich jedoch auch selbst nicht ihrer Gefährdung bewusst und seien aufgrund von Erfolgsgeschichten und einer hohen Anzahl an MigrantInnen bereit, sich auf hohe Risiken einzulassen.
„Moldova is recognised as a major country of origin for trafficking in human beings, particularly women, to Balkan and West European countries. IOM caseload shows a reduction in returns from FYROM, Kosovo, Bosnia and Albania (the four leading destination countries in 2000-2003) and marked increases in Turkey (now being the major destination country), Poland, the UAE and Israel. An increase in the number of children being trafficked to Russia has also been noted. Between 2000 and 2005, IOM assisted 1540 victims, including 87 children. Poverty, low salaried jobs, gender discrimination and domestic violence coupled with a general absence of positive expectations for the future and limited access to higher education are key root causes of a massive migration (around 10% of the population but potentially much higher).
c) Need to maintain and expand awareness and information. There appears to be patchy awareness and contact with vulnerable groups in districts and villages. Particularly vulnerable are institutionalised children and "social orphans" whose parents have migrated. Children affected by domestic violence are at extreme risk. There appears to be a general problem of lack of self-identification as potential victim. People appear prepared to take risks due to success stories and large number of people migrating. It is recognised that awareness raising will not stop migration but there is a need to ensure that appropriate migration information is available to inform choices and alert migrants to available safety nets.” (DANATIP, 2006)
Die polnische Organisation Nobody’s Children Foundation hat 2005 in Osteuropa eine umfassende Befragung von PädagogInnen zum Thema Kindesmissbrauch durchgeführt. Folgende Angaben sind der Zusammenfassung des Forschungsberichts zur Republik Moldau entnommen: Die befragten Personen hätten angegeben, dass in den letzten 10 Jahren die Zahl der vernachlässigten Kinder zugenommen habe. Es gebe kein Gesetz, das das Schlagen von Kindern verbiete, und körperliche Züchtigung sei nach Ansicht der meisten Interviewpartner in manchen Situationen eine adäquate Erziehungsmaßnahme und außerdem Privatangelegenheit der Eltern. Mehr als die Hälfte der befragten PädagogInnen würden Einrichtungen zur Unterstützung von Kindern für ausreichend effizient und kompetent halten.
Andererseits hätten sie angegeben, das Personal von Schulen, medizinischen und sozialen Einrichtungen und die Exekutive wüssten zu wenig über Kindesmissbrauch, und sie hätten zu nachsichtige Strafen, eine mangelnde Isolation der Täter von den Opfern, übermäßig lange Ermittlungen und Gerichtsverfahren und das Fehlen von Behandlungsmöglichkeiten für Sexualstraftäter kritisiert:
“Teachers participating in the study perceive spanking by parents lack of interest in the child's problems and active forms of emotional abuse, such as calling names and verbal humiliation as the problems affecting the highest number of children. More than half of the participants estimate that each of this forms of abuse is experienced by more than 50% of children in Moldova.
According to the respondents, in the past decade there has been an increase in the prevalence of children’s loneliness, especially the problem of leaving children unattended.
The respondents are optimistic about the situation in their school, as compared to the national population of children. According to the participants, their student are less likely to experience abuse than Moldavian children in general.
The participants strongly support the idea that some aspects of the parent–child relationship should be regulated by law. In Moldova beating children has not been legally banned.
The respondents, however, are inconsistent in opposing corporal punishment. Although they consider corporal punishment a poor child-rearing method, they also believe beating children is justified in certain situations (e.g., when a child commits a petty theft or starts using substances), and they don’t think that intervention is needed when parents are spanking child.
More than half of the participants (62.2 %) believe that the available services ensure than child victims are offered genuine, effective help and the competence of various professional groups responsible for protecting children are sufficient.
The respondents suggest that both teachers and other members of school personnel, as well as representatives of health care services, and social services, law enforcement, have too limited knowledge about child abuse.
The respondents evaluate that help services available to abused children in their country – they point to too lenient sentences, lack of possibility to isolate the offender from the victim, lengthy investigation and court procedures as the fundamental problems requiring immediate improvement.
The participants call for improving the policy toward child sexual abusers – through ensuring that the abuser is isolated from the victim, passing harsh sentences, and making treatment services available to sexual offenders.” (Nobody’s Children Foundation, 2006)
In einem 2006 erschienenen Artikel von UNICEF ist zu lesen, dass über 70 % der mehr als 14 000 Kinder in staatlicher Obhut so genannte Sozialwaisen seien, d. h. von ihren Eltern abgegeben wurden. Der Grund für die Einweisung der Kinder in Heime sei vor allem ein Mangel an sozialen Sicherheitsnetzen und an spezieller Betreuung von Familien, sodass es kaum andere Möglichkeiten gebe, Kindern Schutz zu bieten. Da die Kinder in den Heimen jedoch mangelhaft betreut würden, habe UNICEF zusammen mit der NGO Centre for Information and Documentation on Child Rights und mit Unterstützung des Bildungs- und des Jugendministeriums ein Projekt namens Life Skills ins Leben gerufen, an dem 2003 und 2004 über 3000 Kinder in elf Institutionen teilgenommen hätten:
“More then 70 per cent of the more than 14,000 children living in residential care in Moldova have parents and are so-called ‘social orphans’. They are placed in institutions for different reasons, but mainly because, in the absence of social safety nets and specialized services for families, they are one of the very few viable options providing child protection in Moldova.
Children placed in residential institutions all over Moldova grow up isolated, lacking the most basic social skills. As a result, once they leave the orphanage they feel utterly lost. They are not prepared for an independent life, and it is extremely difficult for them to find a job or to continue their education. They cannot make friends in the community; they do not know how to manage their finances or where to look for help and advice. Most of them don’t have anybody to rely on or any services to support them, and often become easy prey for traffickers. […] The goal of the Life Skills project is to raise awareness and to build the capacity of vulnerable ‘social orphans’ to understand and exercise their rights. Activities in 11 institutions during 2003 and 2004 involved more then 3,000 children aged 10 to 16. The project is being implemented through the NGO Centre for Information and Documentation on Child Rights with the support of the Ministry of Education and State Department for Youth.” (UNICEF, 2006b)
In einem Bericht von UNICEF 2005 heißt es, die International Organization for Migration (IOM) und UNICEF würden ein kinderfreundliches Rehabilitationszentrum für Opfer von Menschenhandel in Moldawien unterstützen, das medizinische, psychologische, soziale und rechtliche Hilfe anbiete:
“In Moldova, the International Organization for Migration and UNICEF support a chid-friendly wing of the Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Trafficking. This wing provides child victims of trafficking with such specialized services as medical, psychological, social and legal support.” (UNICEF, 2005c)
Zum Thema Waisenkinder, Straßenkinder und Kinderprostitution in der Republik Moldau gibt es eine Fülle an Material, und ich möchte Sie für Ihre weiteren Recherchen vor allem auf folgende Dokumente und Quellen (thematisch geordnet) aufmerksam machen:
Diese Informationen beruhen auf einer zeitlich begrenzten Recherche in öffentlich zugänglichen Dokumenten, die ACCORD derzeit zur Verfügung stehen. Diese Antwort stellt keine Meinung zum Inhalt eines bestimmten Ansuchens um Asyl oder anderen internationalen Schutz dar. Wir empfehlen, die verwendeten Materialien zur Gänze durchzusehen.
Quellen:
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The Danish Programme Against Human Trafficking in Eastern and South Eastern Europe: National Programme Information – Moldova, 2006
http://danatip.org/moldova (Zugriff am 8. Jänner 2008)
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