More than 600,000 children in Romania suffered violence in the past year, study finds

Scale of the problem

A study carried out with UNICEF and Romania's Ministry of Labour found that about 28% of children in Romania, roughly one million, have experienced at least one form of violence during their lifetime. More than 16% of those children, or 600,000, were subjected to violence in the last 12 months. Among the forms measured, 16.2% of children reported physical violence and 15.5% psychological violence. The study also found that 4.7% of children had experienced neglect, such as inadequate supervision and poor nutrition and hygiene, while 3.5% of respondents reported sexual violence.

Physical violence16.2%

Psychological violence15.5%

Neglect4.7%

Sexual violence3.5%

Physical violence

16.2 %

Psychological violence

15.5 %

Neglect

4.7 %

Sexual violence

3.5 %

Data from the article text

Who is affected and how

Boys are slightly more exposed than girls, and violence becomes more frequent as children grow older. Most incidents take place at school and in the community, and only after that in the family. The study links the greatest impact on children to households where parents struggle with mental health problems, addictions or violence between partners.

The study includes testimonies from children. A boy under 18 from a rural area described a friend who was beaten by his mother and aunt until he had bruises, while the friend's father worked as a truck driver abroad. A girl aged 14 to 17, also from a rural area, said her parents gave her slaps on the head when she talked back or lied, and that she did not describe it as beating. Some children, the study notes, see such punishment as justified.

Government response

Prime Minister Luca Niculescu spoke on Monday, 9 November, at the closing conference of a project titled "Consolidarea răspunsului la violența împotriva copiilor prin politici mai bine fundamentate și capacitate instituțională sporită", held at Palatul Victoria in Bucharest. The project was run by the Ministry of Labour, the National Authority for the Protection of Children's Rights and Adoption, UNICEF Romania and the General Secretariat of the Government, with partners from Poland and the European Commission. Niculescu said child protection directorates recorded more than 20,000 cases of abuse, neglect and exploitation last year, and that many situations never reach the authorities.

“We have institutions, we have legislation, we have dedicated people, but we must admit that the system does not always work the way it should.”

Niculescu said the figures show the scale of the problem and that authorities should not wait for a tragedy before acting. He asked responsible institutions to work together, and said a plan must not stay only on paper. The roadmap proposes seven strategic directions and 57 measures covering prevention, early identification, intervention, recovery and reintegration of victims. He opened his remarks by expressing solidarity with the Polish people and the partners from Poland following the tragedy in Kraków.

European Commission priorities

Roxana Mînzatu, executive vice-president of the European Commission, sent a recorded message congratulating the completion of the project. She said the work aims to help teachers, doctors and social workers identify signs of violence earlier.

“A teacher, a doctor, both can be the adults who notice first, outside the family, that a child needs help.”

Mînzatu said the priority is reaching children who attend school less often, see a doctor rarely, or whose suffering may go unnoticed. She said nearly one in four children in the European Union were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025, and called Romania's situation equally alarming. She also said the Commission would test a digital card for the European Child Guarantee next year, in 2027, so families can use the services their children are entitled to more easily.