Children on the Move and how to adress Protection Needs

Albania's poorest children remain at risk of abuse, exploitation and trafficking as they or their family move from place to place in search of a better life.  At a joint press conference today, the Terre des Hommes Mission in Albania and Save the Children released their report “Children on the Move and the Response to Their Protection Needs”. The Report highlights the risks faced by children who are on the move either within the country or to neighbouring Kosovo or Greece. It calls for the strengthening of the institutions responsible for child protection and the provision of services. In addition, it urges cross-border and multinational cooperation to protect children during this migration.  

While recognizing that migration can offer a chance for individuals or families to find a better life, the report points out that emigration or migration is often coupled with many challenges for households and children. In addition to serious abuse, violence and trafficking, they can face difficulties registering with local institutions, their education can suffer and it is common for them not to have access to adequate health care services.

Save the Children Director, Mrs. Anila Meco emphasized that “Together we must implement national child protection systems that are based on the rights of the child, in order to ensure the protection of all children, including children on the move, and the State has the obligation to support and to pay special attention to them, regardless of whether they have a resident status or not, regardless of whether they are legal or illegal immigrants, taking under consideration the Highest Interest of the Child and non discrimination as primary principles.”

Terre des hommes Director, Mrs. Jezerca Tigani made a short presentation on the findings of the study stressing the importance of recognizing and raising awareness of the risks that households and especially children on the move face, pointing out that, "All children should be efficiently protected from exploitation and abuse and it is their right to have access to adequate healthcare and education - even if they are children on the move."

For her part, Adviser to the Minister Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, Mrs. Enkelejda Lopari, said that the data provided by the study are very important in seriously considering how the child protection and the social protections systems ensure the protection of children and households. According to the Minister Advisor, “the MSWY is committed to work in addressing this phenomenon firstly through cooperation with children and households, and secondly through cooperation with all institutions at the local, central and cross border level for the highest interest of the child”.

Mrs. Ina Verzivolli, Chairperson of the Agency for the Protection of the Rights of the Child said: “The Agency is committed to establish and consolidate a child protection system that is ready to provide protection for children on the move that could be at risk. Currently we are working on the protection and rehabilitation of children in street situation who are often on the move. Such studies serve to better inform intervention policy for the protection of these children”.

The report's recommendations are that the protection of children on the move and the ensuring of their fundamental rights can only be achieved by strengthening the child protection system and its mechanisms; cooperation between competent state institutions, civil society organizations and other stakeholders, and the improvement of cross border cooperation. The report is part of the transnational Mario Project which since 2009 has had as its goal to advocate for policies and practices that would respond to the specific need for protection of Children on the Move in Europe in the countries of origin, transit and destination.