PREVENTION AND ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL EXPLOTATION OF CHILDREN IN ALBANIA

Albania is planning to invest 1 billion euros for new roads on the next three years, but the Government has no plans to fund community and social protection services. Consequently, an increasing number of children are at risk of trafficking and exploitation for sexual and economic purposes. The United Kingdom, France, Italy and Belgium remain the main countries where children from Albania are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor from organized crime networks.

CHILDREN'S SITUATION IN ALBANIA 100,000 children in Albania live in poverty. They are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation. Over 2500 children in Albania beg and live on the streets. 50,000 children are reportedly working in domestic labour to ensure the survival of their families. 5000 children from Albania are victims of international trafficking. Only the UK declares every year that over 600 people from Albania are victims of trafficking to this country, most of them childish girls. 20% of children in Albania live in absolute poverty. No municipalities have any programmes to support children living in poverty Almost 12% of children In Albania where victims of sexual harassment with almost 5% claiming that they were victims of sexual abuse.

BEST PRACTICE ISIGURT.AL In 2016, CRCA Albania collaborated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry Social Welfare, to establish the national platform www.ISIGURT.al for children and the youth to report online cases of inappropriate or illegal material. So far, more than 200 reports have been made to the platform. National Action Plan for Child Safety Online (2018-2020) This policy represents the first ever attempt by several Ministries of the Albanian Government to work together towards a better protection of children from abuse and exploitation while online. The drafting process was facilitated by CRCA Albania and it was finalised in early 2018. The modest plan aims to increase the capacities of teachers and law enforcement agencies to protect and inform children from the dangers they face online.

OUR ADVOCACY / OUR RECOMANDATION Given this worrying situation, ECPAT Albania, on the International Day against Trafficking in Human Beings, recommends to the Albanian Government to take the following measures: Preparation and adoption of a National Action Plan for the Elimination of Trafficking and Exploitation of children in Albania. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education and the Municipalities, in their 2019 budget, should plan full funding for national and community services, education etc., as services that can guarantee the protection children from trafficking and exploitation. The Albanian Government should fund entirely from the Social Fund, national child emergency services, including legal, reintegration services, shelters, etc. ECPAT Albania also urges the Albanian Parliament to adopt the legal changes to the Criminal Code that would enable further protection of children from exploitation and abuse.