Children and women left behind by men who have gone to find work abroad turn into thugs and prostitutes, a Romanian minister has said. As many as three million Romanians have migrated to western European countries in a bid to escape poverty in their homeland, triggering debate and concern over the consequences of the exodus from one of Europe's poorest countries. Ioan Rus, transport minister (until his resignation on Thursday night), said men working abroad could earn €1,500 (£1,000) a month, an amount to ‘turn children back home into thugs and wives into whores’. The anger triggered by Mr Rus's comments and his subsequent resignation dealt another blow to the government of Victor Ponta, which has been reeling since Friday when Mr Ponta came under a criminal investigation into corruption. The prime minister stands accused of a number of offences including forgery and money-laundering in the most high-profile corruption case in Romania since the fall of communism. (See Prayer Hub 18 June article)