In Romania one in ten children goes to bed hungry and one-fifth say they are rarely or never happy, according to a study of life for children in rural areas.
The Welfare of Children in Rural Areas report carried out by humanitarian aid group World Vision found that one in 14 children say their life is unhappy.
The report that was released Thursday showed that a huge proportion_ 80%_ of children and young people work on the land, have cleaning chores or look after family members or farm animals in the Romanian countryside.
One-fourth of them say they get no help with homework and 8% say they don’t have anyone to look after then when they are sick.
More than half leave school after the VIIIth grade, when they are 14, because their families can’t afford to keep them in education, a key indication of rural poverty.
Only half the adults questioned said they know about children’s welfare rights and only a third knows about their right to freedom of expression.
More than a third say they yell at their children and 11% admit they use corporal punishment, while 4% swear or insult them.
About one-third say it’s more important to get a job than finish school, the report found.
The questionnaire was carried out during the coronavirus pandemic and respondents said they bought less food, borrowed or received food from friends and relatives and bought their children fewer books and other items for school.
The study was carried out across Romania from June to August 2020. Some 936 adults and almost 3,000 children were interviewed.
World Vision International is a Christian humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organization. It has been in Romania for 30 years works to eliminate poverty worldwide.
