Observation Report: Exploitation of Albanian Children in Street Situation in Kosovo

After the 1999 Kosovo war, a new phenomenon was noticed: Albanian children in street situations moving from Albania to Kosovo. These children and their families, who migrate to Kosovo mainly for begging or collecting metal face challenging socio-economic situations that feed their further marginalization, social exclusion and deprivation from proper child protection and access to social services. These children are also likely to be exposed to the risk of exploitation by organized crime circles for sexual and forced labour purposes.

This phenomenon however has not been properly documented by any comprehensive study and/or analysis in either Albania or Kosovo. In order to address the lack of information on the exact nature and situation of this phenomenon, MARIO partners in Kosovo and Albania initiated a street observation process that was conducted by a Street Workers Team composed of one social worker from each Tdh delegation in Albania and Kosovo and one social worker working at the Street Children Center, funded by Save the Children Albania. The team members have all been trained in investigative street observation methods through the MARIO project.

Their activities included street outreach work, observation, and meetings with relevant stakeholders (NGOs, institutions etc.) over a period of two weeks in Kosovo. The aim of this Albania- Kosovo transnational collaboration was to collect and analyse information on the cross-border movement of these children from one country to the other in order to get an overview of their numbers, attempt to identify the patterns and trends in their movement between the two countries, better understand their modes of recruitment and exploitation and offer recommendations accordingly on how to protect these children on the move in line with the principle of a child’s best interests. This observation research process was also envisioned to serve as a rapid needs assessment tool in order to understand and identify some of the immediate challenges faced by these children.