Romanian courts sentence parents and men in child sexual abuse cases

Three parents in Romania were sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment, suspended, for arranging a marriage between a 20‑year‑old man and an 11‑year‑old girl. The ceremony took place in the summer of 2022, after which the girl lived with the adult for nine years, resulting in repeated sexual abuse and a pregnancy. The case has revived debate over early marriages and recent changes to the penal code.

In a separate incident in Iași, two men aged 21 and 34 were arrested and placed in preventive detention for 30 days on suspicion of raping a 17‑year‑old girl. The abuse occurred in a house in the commune of Scobiţi after the victim was invited by the attackers, who were the boyfriend of a friend and his companion. Police have transferred the suspects to the prosecutor’s office for further investigation.