ABSTRACT
Under socialism, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union were generally portrayed as a low-risk region for child abuse and neglect. Today, vulnerable children are more visible and their numbers are growing. While the transition may have opened new opportunities for young people, it has also brought new problems. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide are on the rise, heightened by a deterioration of the social fabric and by recent hardships, including unemployment. Also increasing are the sexual exploitation of children and child labor, though the extent of these problems is difficult to assess because of the lack of reliable figures. And an endemic problem—the vast institutionalization of children who are disabled or in difficult circumstances—requires urgent attention.
