Protection and Care
In 2006, there were still about 76,000 children deprived of care from their biological parents, mainly as a result of persistently high levels of child abandonment at birth or shortly thereafter. However, significant progress has been made regarding the placements, as the number of children living in institutions has decreased to about 27,000 in 2006 (mostly older children and many with special needs) while the majority of the remaining children live either in the extended family or in a foster family. The quality of care in foster families needs to be improved through training and better monitoring of the foster care system, while the basic causes to child abandonment needs to be further addressed, as well in ensuring integrated early childcare services. As a result of the 2005 child rights law, there are currently virtually no inter-country adoptions. An emerging issue relates to the increasing number of children left behind by parents migrating to other EU countries in search for better work opportunities.
Feature story on Child Abandonment |
