TIRANA, May 23 – While the country is still reeling from a child abuse scandal registered at a children’s home in the northern city of Shkodra, another episode involving child care institutions has been uncovered by an investigative television show, this time in the country’s south.
The complete lack of supervision for the minors residing at the orphanage of Saranda, in southern Albania was exposed on “Stop” investigative show aired on Klan television this week.
An undercover journalist caught on hidden camera the testimony of a former director and two caretakers who admitted that underage girls at the center attended nightclubs in the company of adult males.
Left unattended, many of the children residents at the center also resorted to begging or stealing, according to the caretakers’ testimony.
The physical and sexual abuse of children at a foster care institution in Shkodra shocked public opinion last week, while it has emerged that violence has been a constant phenomenon in this institution, according to former residents at the center.
“Children have always been subjected to psychological and physical violence from staff, although they have been frequently replaced. Violence towards orphans has always been present and no measures have been taken,” said Ervis Veizi, a former dweller at the institution, now promoting orphan’s rights.
Another former resident at the orphanage in Shkodra says that despite bearing visible signs of violence their complaints have always fallen in deaf ears.
“We have been beaten up with chairs even. Violence started at pre-school and involved everyone. We went to complain, sometimes having a black eye, and still nothing was done,” said Lorenc Koci.
Children at the center were beaten with sticks or chair legs and often were forced to clean the building. Three underage girls had also been sexually assaulted as a result of staff negligence.
The scandal led to the arrest of the former director of the children’s home together with four employees on abuse of office and child maltreatment charges.
The latest episodes show the need for better supervision by the state of children homes throughout the country.
Holding banners condemning the act, hundreds of citizens in Shkodra joined a peaceful march against violence asking for tougher laws for child abusers.
A similar rally under the motto “You are not alone” was held in Tirana’s main boulevard to condemn acts of child abuse.
After the latest scandals, Minister for Social Welfare Blendi Klosi has ordered the establishment of a task force that will monitor all residential centers in the country, while staff will undergo testing.
“For all 64 centers, both public and private, which offer child care, there will be controls on their performance and an evaluation of staff. Interviews will be conducted with all the children in these centers to understand what’s going on,” said Klosi.
Minister Klosi added the ministry was mulling changes to the criminal code to stiffen penalties against child abusers.
As part of plans to prevent further abuse in foster care institutions, surveillance cameras will also be installed. The idea has also been put forward before, but hasn’t materialized due to child privacy concerns.
However, after the latest scandals the government seems determined to go ahead with the plan.
The government is also considering finding foster families for the children currently staying at children’s home, while the latter will turn into daycare centers.
