Recruitment of staff in the social system "must be done more carefully"

The National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption reacts to the case of teenagers in Mehedinti County, in the care of the state, who were subjected to serious sexual abuse by an instructor at a special school and a guard of the local Directorate for Child Protection. According to the Chairperson of the Authority, more care should be taken in recruiting social workers and the selection rules should be revised. The two employees were arrested for 30 days.

According to a press release issued by the Central Authority for Child Protection, suspicions of sexual abuse have been confirmed so far in the case of seven children and young people, five of them in the special protection system, one of whom is an adult and two of whom are pupils of the Special School in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

These are serious abuses, as a result of which the victims have been left with sequelae, which is why they are being counselled by psychologists from the Mehedinti Child Protection Directorate, which also happened during the hearings held by investigators.

Moreover, prosecutors suspect that we are talking about dozens of victims of these individuals and efforts are being made to identify all abused children for psychological counselling.

As a result of such trauma, victims can be left with sequelae and may, in their adulthood, become personalities with serious behavioural deviations.

Translated by: Radu Matei