Albanian children continue to face abuse, poverty, says report

Save the Children, Terre des Homme report says situation remains very problematic for underprivileged children.
TIRANA, Nov. 20 – A study released this week by two prestigious international organizations noted that Albanian children in Albania, Kosovo and Greece face abuse, violence, trafficking, poverty and discrimination.
On the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Save the Children and Terre des Homme noted that the situation remains problematic. It adds the system of social protection is deemed not able to satisfy the needs of Albanian children, especially those in domestic and regional migration.
The state of underprivileged children’s rights remains grave — they are used, abused, undervalued and excluded from society, the report notes.
According to the study, in Albania, the laws that protect children’s rights are violated, in Kosovo there yet to be a law on children’s rights, while in Greece violations stem from the unclear status of immigrant parents.
Albania has adopted in the last decade a number of laws, strategies and other documents that are supposed to protect children, however their implementation is lacking, as is the systematic protection of children.
Children who violations to their rights in Albania belong mainly to families with social and economic problems and are from rural or marginalized parts of the society, including the Roma and Balkan Egyptian minorities.
According to the latest data, the employment of children in Albania is growing, as is the number of child beggars. There are 600 children in Tirana and Durres alone begging in the street, the report noted.
Massive internal and external migration has made things worst for children, the report’s authors said.
Already a significant number, about 22 thousand children have returned to Albania from abroad with their families, thus bringing with them the main challenge for central and local institutions, their reintegration into society.