The Judiciary Committee on Monday approved a bill that increases the penalties for those who maintain sexual relations with minors, forced into prostitution and child pornography.

In particular, the draft law stipulates that sexual intercourse with a minor who has not reached the age of 16 will be considered rape and will be punished by imprisonment for a period of 7 to 12 years with the prohibition of exercising certain rights.

The bill was adopted at the initiative of civil society. The Declic community brought a statue to the parliament, in front of the legal committee premises in the parliament, which symbolizes the suffering of a child who is a victim of sexual abuse.

The project should go to the plenary discussion of the Chamber of Deputies in the next session, or rather in February. The Chamber of Deputies is the decision-making forum in this case.

A mostly hidden phenomenon in Romania

Sexual violence against minors in Romania remains a mostly hidden phenomenon.

• Over the last 8 years, 1,885 girls and 202 boys became victims of crimes in the form of rape, sexual violence or sexual intercourse with a minor, where the perpetrator was a family member.
• In over 91% of cases reported to the police, adult offenders were male. But many sexual abusers are also not family members.
• In 6 months of 2022, 2,658 reports of crimes related to sexual acts with minors, 872 reports of sexual violence, and 1,951 reports of rape (IGPR, 2022) outside of family relationships were registered.
• In 2021, 631 pregnant minors under the age of 15 and 7,800 pregnant women aged 15 to 19 were registered with family doctors (INSP, 2022.)
• In 2020, 668 minor mothers under the age of 15 were registered, in 143 cases the fathers were aged from 20 to 39 years, in 392 cases the father’s age was not specified.
• In 2019, 753 minor mothers under the age of 15 were registered, in 191 cases the fathers were between the ages of 20 and 64, and in 353 cases the father’s age was not specified (INSSE, 2021).