In-the-Know ~ Romania

If you’ve seen or heard the coverage on CNN about the miserable lives Romania’s orphan children lead. You probably have wondered who these people are and why aren’t they doing something about their abandoned children. Before we start digging deeper into the socio-economic aspects that led to this sad situation, let’s get acquainted with the country and it’s people.


Romania is located in Southeastern Europe; and it borders Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova and the Black Sea. Its total area is 237,500 sq km which comparatively is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. The climate is temperate, with sunny summers and cloudy winters and frequent snow and fog.

 

The population estimate (as of July 2006) is approximately 22 million, with an estimated population growth rate in 2006 of -0.12. This equates to more deaths than births. The infant mortality rate is situated at 25.5 deaths/1000 live births (compared to 6.43 deaths/1,000 live births in the US).  Immigration, high mortality and negative birth rates -all with economic roots- contribute to a decrease in the country’s population, i.e. 23 million plus in 1992 to 22.3 million in 2001.

 

Over eighty-five percent of Romania’s people are “pure” Romanian; descendent's of Romans and Dacians. Romanian is the country’s official language, although English is taught in elementary schools and universities alike. The Romanian language developed from Latin, the language of the Romans who ruled the country in ancient times. Romanian is the only Eastern European language that comes from Latin, and therefore is considered a Romance language related to French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. 

Approximately seventy-five to eighty percent of all Romanians belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church, an Eastern Orthodox religion. Seven percent --chiefly Hungarians--are Roman Catholics. Other faiths that are practiced in Romania include Islam, Judaism, and various forms of Protestantism (Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran etc.).

Some define Romania as a country marked by sharp contrasts: social, cultural and economic. The urban and rural lifestyles can be easily used as a conclusive example. While most of the city people live a relatively westernized lifestyle, enjoying the city nightlife, western music and the arts. The rural inhabitants live a very pauper-like existence. The houses are plain and simple, often decorated with home made art objects like wall rugs, colorfully decorated plates and woodcarvings on furniture. Life in the countryside revolves around agriculture (farming), handicrafts and the practice of traditional customs. Economically speaking, the contrasts are even more noticeable.

 

The fall of communism left a small minority with control over the country’s resources and left the majority in poverty. Only recently is the country starting to enjoy modest economic growth and this is coming after nearly fifteen years of countless reforms and never-ending transitions. In the years following the revolution, the country was left with an obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs.

 

The country emerged in 2000 from recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets. Despite the global slowdown in 2001-02, strong domestic activity in some economic sectors like construction, agriculture, and consumption have kept GDP growth above four percent. Meanwhile, macroeconomic gains have only recently started to encourage formation of a middle class and address Romania's widespread poverty, while corruption and red tape continue to handicap the business environment.

 

More than 15 years have passed since the forty-five year reign of Nicolae Ceausescu of the communist regime was overthrown. The moral debris and old-way mentality still exists. This has contributed to forcing the country into an ongoing state of transition and reform, with the intent to catch up with the rest of the civilized world. Government corruption and mismanagement, political confusion and the lack of a healthy legislative democratic framework have delayed Romania’s compliance with the present European standards. Recently, as the result of a healthier political process, and a strong European and American support, Romania has joined European Union (January 1, 2007). The accelerated reforms and a more responsible political class helped speed up the socio-economic reforms and Romania’s accession to the EU. There are still several areas where the country’s leadership will focus, i.e. corruption, delayed reforms in public administration and the judiciary system, all with direct implications on the well-being of Romania’s children.

  

In January 2005, new child-rights acts and adoption went into effect, thus, bringing Romania in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the European Convention on Human Rights. A portion of this new legislation placed tighter restrictions on inter-country adoption. However, the lack of clear methodological guidelines for its implementation caused confusion and has negatively impacted on the situation of children and women.

  

The lack of a cohesive strategy in the social sector combined with insufficient funding continues to be the main obstacle for maintaining the national and local level of reform. Poverty remains high in 2006, situated around 25% with extreme poverty at about 11%. On average the rural poverty rates are much more elevated as those in urban areas. The social groups that have been heavily affected are families with more than 4-5 children, the self-employed, unemployed and children ages 0-15.  In addition to the employment rate being low, most agencies and departments that receive government funding for jobs are extremely under funded. Recent household budget surveys show that an average Romanian family spends approximately 40% of their income on food and the remaining amount on housing, water and electricity, gas or wood (for cooking). This leaves little to nothing left for clothing or footwear. Furthermore, the cost of one outfit and a pair of shoes equates to an average individual’s one month income.

 

Estimations prove that over one million children live in poverty while some 360,000 live in abject poverty. There are also a number of unique problems on the horizon contributing to the high rate of child abandonment. Including, an increasing rate of newborn abandonments due to the lack of availability and the poor quality of recovery and integration services for children with disabilities; corruption of government policies creating victims of child labor; child trafficking; parental drug abuse, family violence; and homelessness.

 

According to published numbers, in 2005 there were more than 30,000 institutionalized children. While the number has significantly dropped in fifteen years, that of children in placement has grown, thus altering the type of care. However, not decreasing the number of children needing placement/care. According to the UNICEF country report, the abandonment rate is 18 babies per every 1000 live births, which translates to an estimated 4000 babies abandoned at birth every year in maternity wards. Some other 5000 are abandoned annually in other types of medical facilities, showing that the magnitude of child abandonment in Romania remains largely unchanged.

 

A study published by UNICEF in 2003 shows that the publicly institutionalized children experience a lifestyle marked by violence, lack of affection and contact with the outside world. This environment is the main contributing factor to their reduced social integration capacity once they leave the system. Often, they received no professional training, lack elementary schooling and lack basic social skills. They are not trained or used in decision making or independent living, which can and does lead often to social exclusion, homelessness and crime.

        

 

 

Resources heavily used:
UNICEF Annual Report 2005 – Romania
Study published by the Romanian Government (The National Scientific Research Institute on Social Protection and Work)