A report of the Council of Europe of year 2000 estimated that there were approximately 1,000 street children in Bucharest, Romania. These children were homeless as a result of the policies of former Communist ruler Nicolae Ceauşescu, who forbade contraception in the hopes of increasing Romania's population. Many of these children are abandoned or run away from home because their parents are too poor to feed them.
Some Romanian street children are preyed on by sex tourists, mainly from Western Europe, and many can be seen inhaling aurolac (an aluminium-based paint traditionally used for painting a type of wood-burning stove) from plastic bags, the substance of choice for those of limited means.
Romania has made much progress, allowing the number of street children drop to low levels, which is lying at or below the European average. Given that socio-economic conditions continue to improve in Romania, the number of street children is expected to diminish.
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