TIRANA, June 8 – Almost three-quarters of poor and needy children in Albania admit to having faced violence but only less than 15 percent are willing to confess it, according to a child well-being report by Christian charity World Vision.
The report shows there are not enough workers to protect children in many poor areas of the country and as a result thousands of children could be experiencing violence and abuse.
“Children grow up so quickly and that’s why every second we lose, even when it takes longer than needed to protect and take care of them, we believe there will be signs to improve in their tough lives,” said Toni Gogu, the national director of World Vision Albania and Kosovo.
“We work with children, their parents and the community but we need the whole protection system so that children feel safe and express their concerns,” he added.
Most children, some 70 percent, admitted that violence is present in some forms in their life. Children especially those participating directly in World Vision work showed increased knowledge of child protection systems and mechanisms and willingness to report cases of abuse, neglect and exploitation compared with 2014. The findings suggested however that there is need to work on targeted intervention towards severe cases of violence of children by engaging with partners at the national and local level and the need to engage in a national child protection campaign to increase awareness of children, youth and communities on child abuse and violence and to advocate for effective child protection mechanism, the report showed.
Abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, neglect, poverty and social exclusion are considered some of main human rights concerns facing children and adolescents in Albania. In addition, child trafficking and forced labour remain widespread concerns. The worst forms of child labour in Albania can be found among street children, children who are trafficked, children involved in illegal economic activities, children working in the formal sector and children working in the agriculture sector. The root causes of these problems can be attributed to a combination of a lack of knowledge among parents, children and community regarding children’s rights and gaps and weaknesses in the child protection systems and government structures intended to support children, as well as pervasive corruption, says World Vision.
Overall, both caregivers and children report they perceive their surrounding environment as a safe place, with caregivers3 being slightly more optimistic than children.
More than 8,000 children and adults nationwide were surveyed in the 2015 child well-being report.
Recent video footage with allegations of children being physically and even sexually abused in care homes have shocked public opinion.
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, in Albania also says violence remains a daily reality for many children and adolescents in Albania, regardless of their age, gender, economic and social circumstances, culture, religion, ethnicity or abilities. Violence takes place in all contexts, including environments where children are supposed to be safe – at home, in schools, in care and justice institutions. Two-thirds of children have experienced psychological violence like shouting, name-calling and threatening, and 48.42 per cent have experienced physical violence.
In 2015, the Albanian police registered 1,167 crimes against children, representing 5 percent of the total number of crimes against persons.
