"All Together" to reduce child exploitation

20 October 2008 - All too often in Albania's capital Tirana, children are seen begging in front of crowded shops or at traffic lights. They live on the street, in the city's central park, or in minority camps on the city's outskirts. Marginalized from society, these children are at risk of exploitation.

Albanian NGO Fëmijët e Botës dhe të Shipërisë - Të Drejtat e Njeriut (Children of the world and of Albania - Human Rights), works to protect the rights of children and to reduce their vulnerability to trafficking, neglect and abuse. With support from Save the Children and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, FBSH-DN's project "Se Basku" ("All Together"), aims to take children off the street and to support their enrolment in school. The NGO also seeks to raise parent's understanding about the risks that children can face if their rights are not protected.

FBSH-DN's activities focus on children from the Roma and Egyptian minority communities. "Socially excluded children are particularly vulnerable. There are few institutions and services that protect their rights," says Leonard Guni, FBSH-DN Executive Director. "One of the most tangible indicators of children's vulnerability in Roma and Egyptian communities is the number of children who drop out of, or who have never been to school."

Education is obligatory and state funded in Albania. However, many children from minority groups do not attend school as their parents rely on them to contribute to the family income. Moreover, due to social exclusion, children from these communities do not always benefit from available public services and do not enjoy the same rights and opportunties as other Albanian citizens.

"Children belonging to these families are at higher risk of being exploited," notes Guni. "It is easier for traffickers to convince the families that they can offer better opportunities, and to hand the children over."

On a daily basis, FBSH-DN social workers and peer educators visit families in camps or homes, identifying children at risk and providing on-site information and counselling. They encourage children's participation in educational activities run by the NGO and for those children who have never attended school, FBSH-DN offers preparatory and literacy classes. In parallel, they also inform parents about the benefits of registering with the authorities in order for them, and their families, to fully exercise their social rights.

"Supporting the inclusion of disadvantaged families into the community, advocating for children's formal and non-formal education are important means of empowering the whole family unit. We see this as fundamental to protecting the child."

FBSH-DN's office is in Kinostudio, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Tirana where many families from the disadvantaged Roma and Egyptian communities live. Around 1,000 children reside in the area, many of whom are not registered and do not go to school.

"Our ambition is to do away with discrimination and exclusion in our society. We need to invest in our children's futures, not exploit them, " says Guni.

For more information: fbsh_dn@yahoo.com