A total of 18,403 Romanian children had both parents out of the country and working abroad at the end of June of this year, according to data from the National Authority for the Protection of Children’s Rights and Adoption (ANPDCA).

Overall, 96,723 children had parents working outside of Romania.

Out of the children with both parents working abroad, 17,142 were being cared for by relatives of up to fourth-degree relation, without any protection measures. The rest were in the care of a foster parent, in placement centers, or were living with other families or people.

A total of 65,425 children had one parent working abroad, with 62,876 of them in the care of relatives of up to fourth-degree relation, without any protection measures. The remaining 1,558 children were in the special protection system, meaning in the care of a foster parent, in placement centers, or with other families or people.

At the same time, of the total number of children with parents working abroad, 12,895 were coming from families where the only supporting parent had left to work outside of Romania. Of them, 11,498 were cared for by relatives.

Overall, of the children left in the country, 3,931 were in the special protection system, with 580 of them in the care of a foster parent, 886 in placement centers, 2,237 living with relatives, and 248 in the care of other families or people.

As the number of Romanians leaving the country to look for work has increased significantly in recent years, the number of cases of children left alone at home went up as well. In 2013, the Parliament decided that Romanian parents planning to work abroad will have to notify the authorities and let them know who will care for their children while they are away.

Around 3 million Romanians are estimated to be working abroad. Italy and Spain are the European countries attracting a large number of them.

editor@romania-insider.com