Children's Rights in Romania: National Strategic Priorities in Light of the New Recommendations of the UN Committee

Bucharest, November 18, 2025 – The recommendations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and national strategic priorities were the focus of the round table discussion "Children's Rights – a Priority for Romania," held today at the Senate in the Avram Iancu Hall.

The event, organized in the context of International Children's Rights Day (November 20) by the Romanian Senate, the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption (NAPCRA) and UNICEF in Romania, brought together high-level representatives of the government, relevant government institutions, members of the Romanian Parliament, representatives of non-governmental organizations, as well as representatives of children and journalists. The agenda included an analysis of the set of recommendations published by the UN Committee in July 2025, following Romania's submission of its consolidated periodic reports in May 2025.

A central point of discussion was the legislative progress made regarding children's participation in decision-making, in which context it was welcomed that Romania was the first country in the world to regulate, through primary legislation, the participation of children in decisions that directly affect them. The event featured presentations of the three guides developed by NAPCRA with concrete consultation methodologies, as well as participatory mechanisms for children developed by non-governmental and international organizations.

In its recommendations, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child welcomes the progress made by Romania in various areas, such as the National Strategy “Protected Children, Safe Romania” (2023-2027), and the National Action Plan for the European Child Guarantee (2023-2027) and the National Action Plan for the European Child Guarantee (2023-2030). The main areas of concern and recommendation refer to violence against children, the family environment, the situation of children with disabilities, physical and mental health, living standards, and refugee and migrant children. 

"We welcome the UN Committee's Recommendations, which represent both recognition of Romania's progress and an essential roadmap for the future. NAPCRA is fully committed to implementing these measures, many of which are already integrated into the National Strategy "Protected Children, Safe Romania." Our actions, as the central authority, must reflect the Romanian state's firm commitment to guaranteeing every child the right to safety, education, and development. We will work closely with all institutional partners and civil society to turn these recommendations into real and lasting changes in children's lives," said Helena-Omna Raicu, president of NAPCRA.

“In the last decade, Romania has made significant progress towards upholding children’s rights, as the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child acknowledges. However, many children are still left behind, exposed to violence and discrimination, poverty and exclusion, not receiving a quality education or the best health services. Although Romania has registered a consistent progress, 33.8% of Romanian children (1,255 million children) were still at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024, the third highest in the EU. UNICEF stands ready to work with and support the government and local authorities in addressing the issues highlighted in the report and turn the recommendations into concrete and positive change for all the children of Romania, especially the most vulnerable,” said Anna Riatti, UNICEF Representative in Romania. 

According to data from National Authority for the Protection of Children’s Rights and Adoption, in 2024, 20,216 cases of child abuse, neglect and exploitation were registered. To better address violence against children the Committee recommends strengthening cooperation and case management coordination between the relevant authorities at the national, regional and local levels, and continuing cooperation between the two existing child protection helplines. It also recommends strengthening the capacity of the social workers, teachers, health professionals, law-enforcement and judicial officials to timely identify, refer and respond to cases of child abuse and violence, including online. Romania accounts for 87,054 children with disabilities as of 31 March 2025, out of which 54,427 children have severe disabilities. Almost half of children are aged between 7-13 years old. To address the needs of children with disabilities, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends providing specialized support services to reduce the risks of poverty and social exclusion of children with disabilities and undertaking awareness-raising campaigns to combat stigmatization. Ensuring that all children with disabilities have access to inclusive education in mass schools, with schools equipped with trained teachers, accessible infrastructure and teaching materials adapted to the needs of children with disabilities is also listed among the recommendations. The concluding observations also focus on the fact that Romania has the largest number of adolescent mothers in the European Union, over 13,345 in 2024, out of which 586 under 15. Romania should “adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health strategy for adolescents and ensure that age appropriate comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education is part of the mandatory school curriculum and is accessible without parental consent, including for children of parents working abroad”.  

The round table ended with all participants reaffirming their commitment to work together to turn the UN Committee's recommendations into concrete and positive changes for all children in Romania.