OSCE Special Representative supports sustainable assistance for Moldovan children without parental care

CHISINAU, 16 December 2015 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, organized two training courses in Chisinau and Tiraspol for social workers and educators in order to ensure the sustainability of efforts from the Organization’s four-year long programme to support children without parental care.

“Our goal was to support the social and professional integrationof children in Moldova’s boarding schools,” the Special Representative said at the conclusion of the courses on Wednesday. “Now, we are collaborating with social workers to ensure that these efforts will continue long after our project comes to a close.”

The train-the-trainers course for 40 teachers, social workers and other specialists on both sides of the Dniester/Nistru River marked the final activity in the project, which was launched in 2011. Sessions were held on 14-15 December in Chisinau and Tiraspol.

The programme contributed to the prevention of trafficking in human beings and irregular migration from Moldova by supporting the social and professional integration of children in 12 boarding schools. They are considered to be an at-risk group for human trafficking as they often do not have a family support network or means of securing an income upon graduation.

“Teaching life skills is something we stressed in our project,” Jarbussynova said. “I am confident that the social workers and educators I met this week will be able to continue our efforts, and I look forward to working with them in the future.”

In Tiraspol, the Special Representative also met with Oxana Bulanova, head of the office of Social Affairs issues in Transdniestria, and in Chisinau she held meetings with Moldova’s Education Minister Corina Fusu and Deputy Labour Minister Nighina Azizov.