The Republic of Moldova is strengthening its institutional response to child sexual exploitation and abuse through updated legislation, prevention programs and protection mechanisms aligned with European standards. The statements were made by Minister of Internal Affairs Daniella Misail-Nichita at the international conference on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse, held in Chișinău by the Council of Europe in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and the International Center “La Strada”.
According to the minister, Moldova has a modern legal framework designed to ensure rapid intervention in cases of abuse.
“We have legislation that ensures a prompt response to all cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation. We are talking about programs in this field, and I would like to highlight the crime prevention and combating program, one of whose objectives is to reduce the number of cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation.”
Recent amendments to the Criminal Code include the introduction of the concept of imagery depicting sexual abuse of children, as well as increased penalties for such offenses. Misail-Nichita emphasized the importance of inter-institutional cooperation:
“There are mechanisms and guidelines for multidisciplinary work. For children under 14, it is not enough just to investigate and open a criminal case. It is crucial that we manage to remove child sexual abuse material from circulation and block it immediately at the source, in order to reduce exposure and re-victimization.”
The minister also highlighted the Barnahus model—specialized centers where children are interviewed only once, in a non-traumatic environment:
“It is very important to have such services in the North, Center, and South. The state’s response must be as non-traumatic for children as possible.”
Daniella Misail-Nichita also presented data on reports submitted through siguronline.md, a platform launched in April 2023:
“Fifteen thousand reports have been analyzed. These represent images exchanged between specialized reporting services for child abuse and online exploitation across Europe. We determine whether the children in the images are from the Republic of Moldova or whether the users are from here. In such cases, criminal investigations are launched and perpetrators are held accountable.”
The conference in Chisinau marks the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, established by the Council of Europe in 2015, and is the first large-scale event organized under Moldova’s presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.