30 Years of fighting for children's rights

Daniela Sîmboteanu sits in front of three computer monitors. The phone rings—once, twice. She tears her eyes away from a spreadsheet full of numbers. The figures don’t show a clear trend of increase or decrease, but to her, they represent the measure of pain and neglect. These are statistics on children who have been abandoned, neglected, or subjected to psychological, physical, or sexual abuse.

"I enlisted in this fight. But sometimes it feels like it has no end. It’s taking too long, and the victories are too small," she admits. Daniela is the founder of the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention (CNPAC).

"We Found Our Purpose"

Nearly three decades have passed since Daniela Sîmboteanu began advocating for children in Moldova. "We can’t change the world, but we can contribute to small changes. That’s what a friend of mine from the Peace Corps said in the mid-1990s when she arrived in Moldova and was shocked by how normalized corporal punishment and verbal abuse were among parents," recalls Daniela.

The phenomenon wasn’t unique to Moldova, but the indifference shown toward abused children at home or in school deeply affected her friend. She decided to act, to remind people that children have rights too. "She told us about a successful child protection project in the US that had a real impact. Her dedication and the way she viewed our normalized problem inspired me. That’s when I realized what I wanted to do, even though I had no idea how long and difficult the journey would be," Daniela admits.

At the time, Daniela was studying psychology, leading the Moldovan Student Association of Psychology, and working as a university assistant. Just months after that training, in 1997, she founded the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention (CNPAC), aiming to promote children's right to protection from all forms of violence. "There were two employees and over 30 volunteers. It felt surreal how many young people wanted to protect children who had been physically, psychologically, or sexually abused. They were students of psychology, law, even history. We found our purpose, and the school information sessions showed us that it was time to talk openly about the violence children faced," Daniela says.

"But We Don’t Have Psychological Abuse in Schools"

Despite being called a "National Center," the organization operated thanks to foreign funding. It was the late 1990s, and the term "psychological abuse" was almost unheard of in Moldova. They launched multiple awareness campaigns for both students and teachers to counter abusive practices. Their goal was to teach school staff how to respond appropriately to abuse.

"That’s when we hit our first wall. School principals would ask what psychological abuse meant. And once we explained it, the usual answer was, 'But we don’t have that here,'" Daniela recalls.

Working with teachers was also challenging. "The most interested were the children. Talking to them, we realized how much they needed adults to tell them about their rights and how to protect themselves when abused, even by family friends or relatives who crossed boundaries," she says.

"We Sought Answers in the System"

After two years of awareness campaigns in schools, more and more parents began asking the Center for help. "The number of calls was overwhelming. We were being told about very serious cases, and we felt powerless. We were trying to operate in a legal vacuum with almost no child protection laws," Daniela explains.

In addition to prevention programs, the Center began training the authorities expected to respond swiftly and effectively in risk situations involving children. "As we started providing assistance, we realized professionals lacked the knowledge. But worst of all was their attitude. Instead of supporting victims, they justified violence, perpetuating stereotypes like: ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child’ or ‘A child must be raised through fear.’ That made us feel even more helpless," she admits.

"Do Animals Beat Their Offspring?"

In the early 2000s, CNPAC launched Moldova's first communication campaign to prevent child abuse, titled "Do animals beat their offspring?"—joined by 25 other NGOs.

"That campaign probably made history for being our lowest-budget project with the biggest impact... Within days, we were overwhelmed by reports of severe abuse cases."

Daniela flips through a photo album and pauses on images capturing key legislative changes in child protection.

Legislative Changes

With every awareness campaign, field visit, and resolved case, trust in CNPAC grew. "Neighbors would call us about children being beaten or left alone for days. Doctors asked how to act in abuse cases. We felt the urgent need to fill the gap in the system."

CNPAC helped define the steps for multidisciplinary teams and introduced child protection orders. In 2014, after many discussions, the Government approved Decision No. 270 outlining how authorities should respond when a child is at risk. In 2019, Decision No. 708 was passed to regulate the Barnahus-type service—a child-friendly center where professionals come to the child, who receives integrated legal, social, and medical support.

Although work on the model began in 2015 in northern Moldova, many considered it unrealistic. "Some judges were annoyed about spending hours at the Center to hear a child’s testimony, but we always insisted that the child’s safety comes first," Daniela stresses. Since 2022, CNPAC has been officially contracted and paid from the state budget to provide specialized services in the North Regional Center.

The "Amicul" Center

As CNPAC focuses on training, prevention, and advocacy, in 2003 it founded the "Amicul" Center to handle psychosocial rehabilitation for children and families.

"We’re seeing more cases of parental alienation, where one parent damages the child’s relationship with the other. And sadly, 3 in 10 children helped by Amicul are victims of sexual abuse," Daniela says.

She estimates that Amicul covers only 10% of Moldova's cases, with a capacity to assist up to 160 children annually.

The Changes

Still, Daniela believes progress has been made. "Before 2014, professionals didn’t know where to refer abuse cases. Now they do. Similar programs have been launched for domestic violence."

"There were moments I felt crushed. Especially when political instability delayed crucial decisions. We now have a good legal framework for child protection, but many professionals are still untrained or indifferent. I still hear things like, 'How can I report him? He’s my neighbor,' or 'He’s the mayor—he decides.' There are now penalties for officials who fail to act, but those are often ignored too."

After nearly 30 years of advocacy, CNPAC has grown to 40 staff members, helped pass key laws, and delivered hundreds of trainings for children, parents, teachers, doctors, and judges. Daniela says prevention remains the key to ending abuse.

"Accessible parenting education, child-rights-based school curricula, more protection centers across the country, and accountability for those who break the law..."

Some changes take decades, she says. But the impact is clear when children taught about their rights grow up to understand that corporal punishment is abuse.

She recalls a 12-year-old girl whose case left a deep mark on her career. "I was the first specialist to speak to her. She had been sexually abused by her biological father for four years. She asked her mother and others for help, but no one listened. The case came to us through a distant relative. It was a complex intervention that lasted years, but the abuser was finally jailed. That girl grew up and recently joined a support program for survivors of sexual violence. Her story showed me just how cruel indifference can be. And it made me fight even harder for the children we too often fail to hear."

"Side by Side" is a UNHCR Moldova communication initiative highlighting the work of partner organizations across the country. The stories and content shared reflect the contributions and perspectives of our partners working directly with refugees and host communities.