COUNTRY OVERVIEW - REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA MAY 2023 Ending child sexual abuse and exploitation: state-of-play in light of the Lanzarote Convention

The Country Overviews were prepared in close collaboration with the national authorities represented in the Committee of Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Committee). [...] According to the latest statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova, in 2021, 24.4% of children were living in absolute poverty. [...] 2 The Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Boys Statistics provided for the purpose of this report by the Republic of Moldova on the sexual abuse and exploitation of children show that, between 2018-2021, 23% of the total 1,316 victims were boys. [...] Response of the Republic of Moldova to sexual abuse and exploitation of children In 2020, the Republic of Moldova introduced a new legislation to establish stricter sentences for offenders of trafficking and sexual exploitation, with harsher penalties for cases of aggravated circumstances, including when the victim is a child. [...] In May 2022, the Government of the Republic of Moldova approved the creation of the “Specialised Commission for the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention of the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse” within the National Council for Human Rights.