VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
IN ALBANIA
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
ISSUE 1: Situation on violence against children in the
country based on available data. This is official data,
NGO data, etc .
ISSUE 2: Strengths (S) and Weaknesses (W) of Albania
in response to violence against children incidents;
ISSUE 3: Challenges (Ch) and Opportunities (O) in the
current policy environment in Albania with regards to
adequate response to violence cases.
DEFINITION OF CHILD VIOLATION, BASED IN ALBANIAN
LEGISLATION
"Violence against children" is the intentional
use of physical force or other forms of
force, even by threat, against a child or a
group of children, which results or is likely
to result in injury, death, psychological
damage, deviation or deprivation.
(This definition is based on law 10347 “On the protection of children
rights“).
WHICH CATEGORIES OF CHILDREN ARE MOST
VULNERABLE AND EXPOSED TO BE VIOLATED?
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•
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Un- registered children;
Children in street situation
Children living in families in extreme poverty
Children out of parental care;
Children that do not attend the school;
Children victims of different types of violence
(bulling)
• Children in different settings (formal care,
school)
• Others
GENERAL DATA
• Average age in Albania is
32.8 years old (INSTAT
2008);
• Number of children <18 years
old (for year 2011) is
1,190,538 (from 4,271,396
registered citizens in total)
• 0-18 years old age-group
constitutes (approx) 1/3 of the
whole population or 28%.
ISSUE 1
CHILD ABUSE
• 953 children are treated nearby CPU, in
national level. (2011-2012)
• 5,014 cases of violated children are
reported near by Albanian National Child
Helpline (2010).
• 37 children has been registered and
treated on the “National Center for
Treatment of Domestic Violence Victims”.
(year 2012)
ISSUE 1
CHILD LABOR
• 280 children that are working are
identified during the year 2011; In
comparison with the past yearsm, there
are 237 on 2009 and 297 on 2010.
• Referring to the employment of children 514 years, it reaches to 12%, of which 14%
are boys and 9% are girls.
• (UNICEF in The State of the World’s Children 2011),
ISSUE 1
CHILDREN IN STREET SITUATION
• There are indentified (approx) 300
children mostly roma living in the street
(ARSIS, 2011)
ISSUE 1
POOR CHILDREN
In Albania, during a
year 2010, 1 in 8
children (group age
6-15 years old) lives
in poor family. These
poor families are
families that are
treated with
economic assistance
from the State. Observatory
for Children Rights, Draft report “Social
Protection of Children in Albania, 2009”.
Legjenda
% of 6-15 children in regional level, year 2010;
% of 6-15 children living in poor families in regional level, 2010
Children 6-15 years old that
live in poor families, are
living mostly in North part of
the country, in region of:
Kukës 27%, Dibër 23%,
Lezhë 12% and Shkodër
11%.
Year 2009
Year 2010
ISSUE 1
OTHER PHENOMENA THAT CAUSE CHILD
VIOLATION
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Birth Registration
Education
Child Marriage
Sexual Exploitation of Children
ISSUE 1
STATISTICAL DATA AND INFORMATION
REGARDING
CHILD VIOLATION CASES
• 57.7% of children reported being physically battered by a family
member (INSTAT 2009).
• 56.8% of children reported a family member slapped, punched or
kicked them (INSTAT 2009).
• 12.8% of children reported that someone in their family hit them with
objects, and 4% reported they were burned with cigarettes or
another hot object (INSTAT 2009).
• 75% of Albanian children has experienced at least one form of
physical or psychological violence (INSTAT 52008-2009)
• The statistics of the State Police indicate a number of 699 children
harmed as result of several criminal offences of which 120 were
cases of domestic violence during the year 2010.
• 3,5 % of the Albanian children and their families lives in extreme
poverty.
ISSUE 1
STATISTICAL DATA AND INFORMATION
REGARDING
CHILD VIOLATION CASES
Albanian children has experienced at least one form of physical or
psychological violence (INSTAT 52008-2009)
75%
Children surveyed, reported being physically battered by a family
member (INSTAT 2009)
57.70%
Children reported a family member slapped, punched or kicked them
(INSTAT 2009)
56.80%
Children reported that someone in their family hit them with objects,
and 4% reported they were burned with cigarettes or another hot
object (INSTAT 2009)
12.80%
Albanian children and their families lives in extreme poverty (CRC,
2012)
3.50%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
ISSUE 1
CHILDREN IN STREET SITUATION- A STORY COMING FROM ARSIS
TIRANA, SEPTEMBER 2012
After age 12 years, mainly boys, are involved in
different unstable jobs, as: picking cans, scrap
metal, parking-place insurance, selling various
items; About girls (mostly Roma girls) after the
age of 12, usually stay at home doing different
work and “waiting for a marriage”.
Somehow, children working and living in street
can be divided into:
• away from family residence (Runaways),
• abandoned orphans,
• semi-orphans;
This does not include children who sell different items on the street
(ambulatory or not).
ISSUE 1
ABOUT STREET CHILDREN
The main causes of the children living on the street, are:
-Economic reason, - all come extreme poor families, without
sustainable sources of income;
-Living in dysfunctional families, such as: separated parents,
irresponsible parents, children without parents or with one
parent;
Violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect, the difficult economic
situation, expulsion from the family, - force some children to leave
their family and to live on the streets as 'independent' (runaways).
ISSUE 1
CATEGORIES OF CHILDREN THAT ARE OUT OF
“INSTITUTIONS ATTENTION”
• Children working in fishing
manufacture;
• Children working in
agriculture;
• Children working in farming;
• Children working in mines;
ISSUE 2
(S) – LAW IMPROVEMENT LANDSCAPE
• Law approval about “Protection of Child Rights” on 04/ 11/ 2010
(law nr. 10347);
• Approval of National Action Plan for Children 2012 – 2015
• Law approval (Law nr. 10425, date 02/06/2011) about the ratification
of the European Council Convention “For the exercise of children's
rights”;
• Law approval about the ratification of the European Council
Convention “Legal status of children born out of marriage”;
• Other law improvement: Within the time frame of these two years
(2011 – 2012), there are eight (8) DMC approved, - which are
aiming a better implementation of the law “Protection of Child
Rights” ;
• 84 new indicators, already adopted in the long term program of
statistics, as per fields: poverty, health care and nutrition, education,
social protection, public expenditures.
ISSUE 2
(S) – INSTITUTIONS SET UP AND STRENGTHENING
• In Central level:
• Is set up National Council for the protection of children
rights (03/ 08/ 2011);
• Is set up National Agency for the protection of children
rights (18/ 03/ 2011);
• Agreement establishment among different Institutions;
ISSUE 2
(S) – INSTITUTIONS SET UP AND STRENGTHENING
In Local level:
• Setting up “Child Rights Unit (CRU)” in Regional
level; Actually are set up in 11 Regions from 12,
(except Korca region);
• Setting up “Child Protection Unit (CPU)” in
Municipality/ Commune level; Actually are set up
65 CPU from 374 Municipalities/ Commune in
National level, by covering only 17% of the country;
ISSUE 2
(S) – LOCAL POLICY ESTABLISHMENT
• There are developed and are in process of
implementation the local strategies and/ or
action plan for the right of the child. From 12
regions of the country, 10 of them has set up
these Strategies/ Plans.
(S) – RECENTLY LOCAL ACTION UNDERTAKEN
During August 2012, Ministry of Social Affair
and Ministry of Interior , took urgent action to
stop street children begging;
ISSUE 2
(W) - LOCAL POLICY AND INSTITUTIONS ESTABLISHMENT
• The lack of financial plans and resources put in place
in local level for addressing the issues and needs of
children rights;
• The lack of development of progress monitoring
reports;
• Addressing of factors that make some children more
vulnerable to violence and its different forms (like
poverty, social exclusion, ethnicity etc.)
• Clarification of the competences of each of the actors
involved in the protection system.
ISSUE 2
(W) - LOCAL POLICY AND INSTITUTIONS ESTABLISHMENT
• In communes, there are very few pre-school
institutions and where there exist they are unstimulating and unsafe for young children.
• It is necessary to take concrete steps to
strengthen children participation, including in
decision making, through the student’s
governments, youth parliaments and other
bodies.
ISSUE 3
(CH) - LOCAL INSTITUTIONS ESTABLISHMENT
• Capacity development of local administrative staff,
CPU and CRU staff;
• Positive opinion developed and culture improvement
of each grown up person, regarding the wellbeing of
the child, about education and communication with
non violent methods;
• Setting up a national data base, open to public and
everybody interested, regarding the regularly
monitoring of children rights indicators (monthly data/
6 months data/ annual data, etc).
ISSUE 3
(CH) - LOCAL INSTITUTIONS ESTABLISHMENT
• Sensitizing campaign and trainings delivery for
addressing positive parenting;
• A clear referral mechanism must be established
for the cases of violated children, by providing
shelter, health and psychological services; also
protection and re-integration services must be
provided to them.
ISSUE 3
(CH) – IN RESPONSE TO SPECIAL ISSUE OF CHILDREN
RIGHTS
• Children living in blood feud paradox reality have no right
for development and prosperity.
• Children leaving in street.
• Institutionalized Children;
• Child birth registration, motioning here Roma families;
• Children living in poor families;
• The implementation of this new practice of “family
foster care” has started with 80 families.
ISSUE 3
(O) – Local Institutions establishment
• To set up CRU and CPU in each region, municipality
and commune;
• By approaching day by day EU standards, Albania has
the opportunity to better enforce the law in the country
in guaranteeing children rights;
• The possibility to develop and implement new
initiatives in local, national and regional level ,- based
on EU grants and funds (as it is IPA, FP7 and others).
• Cooperation and networking with International
organization from EU countries, but not only.
ISSUE 3
(O) – Local Institutions establishment
• Experience exchange and
networking within NGOs
operating within Albania or
Balkan counties;
• The experience of NGOs
in Albania in acting,
analyzing, providing
support to violated
children.
• Better coordination among
Institutions, by defining
each actor role and
responsibility in local and
central level).
Thank you for your attention!
Albanian Delegation