Romania’s Minister of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities Natalia-Elena Intotera on November 7-8, 2024 participated in the 1st Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children, where she highlighted Romania’s efforts in this regard for children, including recent legislative measures and support projects designed for child protection.

Intotero gave three speeches in which she also stressed the importance of child protection international cooperation and presented two national commitments.

„The first commitment provides for the identification and provision of support for at least 135,000 child victims of violence by 2030, as well as strengthening the capacity of national systems and services to identify and support children affected by violence. The second commitment concerns the involvement of children in the decision-making process. Although Romania has already traditionally included children in decisions regarding their rights, additional efforts are planned to integrate their participation in institutional structures, with an implementation deadline of 2027,” reads a press release released by the ministry.

At the same time, the participants in the conference particularly appreciated 2025 being declared the National Year of the Children in Romania and a new law regulating children’s participation in the decision-making process.

The Conference on Ending Violence against Children took place in Bogotá, bringing together 115 dignitaries and state representatives, as well as international organisations, religious denominations, civil society, and representatives of children and young people, to analyse good practices and concrete measures to prevent and combat violence against children.

According to the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, the event was attended by two deputy prime ministers and 75 ministers, mainly responsible for social affairs, from all regions of the world.

„The conference, organised under the aegis of the United Nations, underlines the global commitment to protecting children’s rights, preventing abuse and ensuring a safe environment for every child. The final declaration of the conference will include the commitments made by the participating states to promote effective policies to end violence, the integration of education for children’s rights in educational systems and the expansion of support services for vulnerable children and families.”

On the sidelines of the conference, Intotero also had a series of bilateral discussions with her counterparts from Ukraine, Bulgaria and Sweden and with UN officials, focused on similar issues in the area of protection of children’s rights.

„The dialogue with the Swedish minister for social affairs focused on the special situation o children Sara and Tiana Samson, for whom the Romanian authorities reiterated their desire for their repatriation, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/1111 (Brussels II bis), as well as with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Samson case and the need to protect children, regardless of nationality, religion, social environment and location, was also presented in Minister Intotero’s dialogue with UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Ending Violence against Children Najat Maalla M’jid, drawing attention to the need for much more applied institutional cooperation with foreign authorities taking into account first of all the best interests of the children, the applicability of the legislation of the state of habitual residence, of international or European law, as the case may be.”

AGERPRES