specific needs of children and elderly left behind as a ... - IOM Moldova

CHAPTER I
cantly help avoiding further problems and pathologies that can be ultimately
developed.
There were cases identified when children lacking adequate information
about the changes that occur during puberty were overreacting, living
stressful moments when entering the period of sexual maturation. A primary
school teacher from a rural school, participating in the focus group
discussions, recalls the case of a girl aged 9 or 10, whose mother left when
she was only 4 years old: “The girl had her first menstrual cycle... The child
was not ready, she got scarred, and she thought she was going to die. She
called me and I could not understand what was happening to her, I did not
know how to help her… She ran to her aunt in Nisporeni” (FG_EC_rural).
It is obvious that the girl did not receive the necessary knowledge about
hygiene norms and proper behaviour of women during these particular
physiological situations, which may have a negative influence on the reproductive
system.
Another problem in the sexual education of girls arises when they remain
in the care of their father, who is not always ready to talk about
intimate topics with his daughter. Here is the example of an 11 year old
girl whose mother has been abroad for 5 years. The girl together with
her younger brother is cared for by their father: “I saw my mother last
time in March. I am getting along with my father. When he tells me to do
something, I do it, if I cannot – I do it later and he does not mind. I talk to
him, but I cannot tell him all my secrets, I feel embarrassed. He asks me if
everything’s good and I do not tell him... One evening I was crying and he
asked me what was wrong, and I did not tell him because I felt embarrassed.
He told me that we should go to a doctor but I did not want. Then he called
my mom and I talked to her and I told her that my breast hurt. She told me
that it was something normal because I am growing and my breast hurts
because it is growing too. She also told me to be careful but I didn’t understand
why...” (III_C_6).
The mother’s absence during the process of sexual education of a young
woman can be perceived in the following case: “We cannot talk to our
father openly. He stays less at home. We talk about the house... I cannot
tell him about the problems that bother me... I cannot talk to my
aunts either. They have their own families, children and their problems...”
(IIL_C_19).
It is very important to talk to children about sexual maturity at least
when puberty comes. Adolescents should receive accurate information
according to their age and ability to understand. This can spare them many
sexual problems. The main questions related to sexuality begin to appear
around the age of 12, sometimes even earlier. Appropriate sexual education
has an extremely important role in the reduction of risks of having
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