The child and the protection of his rights in the Romanian legal system

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the circumstances of the establishment of the National Agency for Child Protection and Adoption (Autoritatea Nationala Pentru Protectia Copilului Si Adoptie) and the Deputy Ombudsman dealing with children's matters (Avocatul Copilului, an agency that was established by the Act of January 2018 and is the equivalent of the Ombudsman for Children) as well as to refer to the acts specifying the competences and scope of activity of both institutions. The article analyses legal acts (documents of international law and provisions of national law) and reports sent by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to the Romanian side, which contributed to the establishment of institutions dealing with children's matters in Romania. The conclusions of the review of the child protection legislation in Romania show that the country has made great progress in the care of children and the respect for their rights in recent years. Romania began to be perceived as a country that takes into account the needs of the youngest citizens, which is manifested not only by the establishment of the institution of the Ombudsman for Children or the National Agency for Child Protection and Adoption, but also by many other activities aimed at supporting children. These include the international conference "Child Participation in Decision-Making and Policy Development at EU Level" organized in Bucharest in May 2019, during which the Bucharest a Declaration on Child Participation in Decision-Making at National and EU Levels was adopted.