Albania First Child Protection Unit opens in Tirana

Project : Albania 25 Nov 2011 | protection systems

21 November 2011, Tirana, Albania: On the occasion of the International Day of the Rights of the Child, the Municipal Unit Nr. 4 in Tirana in collaboration with the central Municipality of Tirana and Terre des hommes Foundation officially launched a new Child Protection Unit. This Unit will provide assistance to children who have been victims, or at risk of becoming victims, of violence, abuse, neglect, or exploitation and trafficking. The Unit will also provide support for families of affected children.

Social work professionals and educators, representatives of the newly established State Agency for Child Protection at the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (MLSAEO), the Albanian State Social Services (ASSS), Tirana Police Directorate, specialists, directors and managers of civil society organizations working in the field of child protection in Albania, along with diplomatic representatives like the Swiss Ambassador in Albania, U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer, OSCE and United Nations representatives joined the launching ceremony held at the Multifunctional Center ‘TEN’ in Tirana.

Initiating the reception, Mrs. Jorida Tabaku expressed her gratitude to Mr. Hysen Xhura for his commitment to promoting the wellbeing of all citizens living within the jurisdiction of the Municipal Unit Nr. 4. Additionally, she praised Terre des hommes Foundation in Albania and its donors like UNICEF, ADC etc., for their commitment to strengthen the child protection system in Albania and their invaluable efforts to protect vulnerable children and their families throughout the country. Recognizing the need for better planned local social services, the Deputy Mayor of Tirana Municipality announced the Municipality’s future commitments towards the protection of children’s rights. “The Municipality of Tirana is currently working to develop an all-inclusive Social Services Package where the protection of children’s rights will be a main priority. Our attention will be focused towards the inclusion in and access to State Education System for all children; the registration of all children with the State Civic Registration Office and the identification of all children and their families in need of economic aid and healthcare services and their accoutrement,” Mrs. Tabaku informed.

This Child Protection Unit established within the Economic Aid Sector is the “first of its kind for the country’s capital city, Tirana and the ninth Unit established with the support of Terre des hommes Foundation, Delegation in Albania, in collaboration with donors like UNICEF, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Austrian Development Cooperation etc,” stated Mr. Artur Marku. An addition to the 28 other Units established throughout Albania, this initiative represents yet another important capacity-building block in the country’s challenging journey to develop a fully functioning child protection system, “which should be embraced by all remaining Municipal Units of Tirana,” added Mrs. Miranda Pasha, Chief of the State Agency for Child Protection Rights.

Since the Child Protection Unit in the Municipal Unit Nr. 4 of Tirana, began operating on September 1, 2011, the municipal Child Protection Worker has identified 52 cases of children who currently face a multitude of hardships resulting from poverty and extreme living conditions. Through community visits and referrals from other actors, the Child Protection Unit has been able to address the needs of 27 children who are involved in begging activities, who have never been enrolled in or have dropped out of school, are unregistered or are in need of medical support. In collaboration with various local child protection actors, the Unit is currently assessing and reviewing protective interventions for other children of the community.

Given that Child Protection Units aim at increasing the capacity of communities to respond appropriately to the welfare and protection of children, UNICEF Representative in Albania, Mr. Detlef Palm encouraged all actors in the field of child protection to offer their support to Tirana’s first Child Protection Worker, Ms. Marsida Ismalaja so that every child’s best interests are served, no matter what the circumstances. “We all need to ensure that this Child Protection Worker is fully equipped with the necessary skills to be able to identify cases of children in need of protection and services and provide proactive interventions. As such all active actors must offer their support with on-the job and academic training, provide technical support and help with capacity building in order to ensure this Unit’s capabilities to sustain itself and its activities in the years to come,” concluded Mr. Palm.

While sustaining Mr. Palm’s call, the Head of the Austrian Development Cooperation also urged the central and local governments in Albania to increase their support, especially financial, to Child Protection Units and other established child protection institutions. “It is important that the Albanian governments both central and local allocate special separate budgets to all Child Protection Units established in Albania,” she reinforced. Through her speech Mrs. Wein also conveyed the need to replicate the Child Protection Unit Model in all municipalities and communes of Albania and advised government actors to shift their current approach towards children’s rights. “The Albanian government must make structural changes to set up specific institutions which will guarantee the protection of children’s rights and must shift its approach towards Case Management as this will ensure the safeguard on an individual needs basis of all children,” she added.

To ensure the coordination and management of all referrals and cases of children *at high risk, who are victims of violence, abuse, neglect, or exploitation and trafficking, or who are socially excluded and deprived of their rights *the Child Protection Worker will work in close collaboration with other actors and stakeholders, including the child and the family, teachers, school psychologists, doctors, police officers and law authorities. This Unit will offer both preventive and responsive services, including direct interventions like providing counseling and family support to all children who are referred to or come into contact with the Unit.

The establishment of the CPU in the Municipal Unit Nr. 4 of Tirana is supported by Terre des hommes in the framework of the “Developing a Child Protection Safety Net” project in Albania. This project envisions a fully-functioning statutory child protection system and a local community committed to taking proactive steps to protect children against all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, neglect and/or trafficking. The implementation of the Terre des hommes CPSN project in Albania has been made possible through the generous contribution of our donors: UNICEF, the Austrian Development Cooperation, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, the OAK Foundation and the Medicor Foundation.[FG]