The public policies to support the families with children must be improved substantially because a country cannot sustainably develop economically and politically without sufficiently investing in children and in families that must be helped. The recommendation was formulated as a result of a study launched by the Center “Expert-Grup” and UNICEF, IPN reports.
In the presentation of the study, UNICEF Representative in Moldova Nune Mangasaryan said the study was aimed at identifying additional support measures for Moldovan families with children and included a multi-sector approach referring to social protection, health policies, fiscal policies, the provisions of the Labor Code, child care and education services, access to information, etc.
It was established that the families with more than three children are the most vulnerable. The poverty rate is over 30%. “We do not tend to offer them financial assistance for breaking the impasse. We offer them means for being able to overcome the situation in which they are,” stated the UNICEF Representative.
Constanta Popescu, director of “Exper-Grup” program “Economy. Policy and Advocacy”, said the state must intervene to help the families with children. A welcomed measure is to develop state and private crèches so as to enable the parents to work and to look after the children simultaneously. Currently, the kindergartens enroll children from the age of three. Twenty years ago they accepted children from the age of one year and a half.
It is also recommended introducing paid paternal leave of two weeks, given to fathers at the birth of the child. Such a practice exists in many countries. In Moldova there is no such approach, but the Government drafted a bill in this respect, which is to be adopted by Parliament.
Another important measure is to allow the working pregnant women to do tests during working hours. The existing income tax exemption given to a salary earner for one maintained child should be doubled.
The study was carried out by “Expert-Grup” with financial support from UNICEF within the UNICEF-Parliament-Expert-Grup partnership for evidence and result-based policy.
