Tirana, 20 November 2019 – Today is the Children’s Day and the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Albania is one of the first countries that ratified the CRC, some 27 years ago, in February 1992. However, the country remains the source of serious violations of children’s rights, especially in the absence of adequate protections for violence, sexual exploitation, slavery, forced labour, mass poverty of children and the failure to fully guarantee the right to education.
CRCA / ECPAT Albania and many other partner NGOs have reported that the situation hasn’t changed much from a year to next. It is because of this that we decided instead of organising a celebration, to march and protest to increase the awareness of the Government, politicians, society, children and media, on the situation of the rights of children and adolescents.
Below we are presenting some of the most concerning data on the violations of the rights of the child, extracted from several reports on child situation in Albania:
86% of children in Albania state that their rights are not respected;
89% of the children state that the Government has not done enough to protect their rights;
Every 3 days, one child is lost in Albania. During the last 3 years, 365 children have been lost, of whom 258 girls and 107 boys.
Over 50,000 children work in formal and non-formal labour, to ensure their survival and of their families;
77% of children in Albania have experienced at least some form of domestic violence;
1 in 10 children are victims of sexual abuse in Albania;
41% of children are victims of at least one form of violence in schools.
Based on this reality CSOs advocating for children’s rights decided to march beginning from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, proceeding towards the Municipality of Tirana, and then holding our protest in front of the Albanian Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Office, to request a better perspective for children in Albania, seek the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and full respect for the rights of children and adolescents.
The Parliament, Government and Municipalities of Albania are obliged not only to fully implement the law on the rights and protection of children, but also to take all measures to ensure that no child is left alone, without support or forgotten! Today we appeal to every public official and politician:
Protect children! Don’t leave children any child alone and without support!