Albanian Coalitions present in UN the education situation of children and youth rights

The UPR Alternative Report for Children and Young People was presented during the UN Universal Periodic Reporting in Geneva. Poverty, slavery, and sexual violence against children, emigration, and youth unemployment among the most worrying issues raised in the report.

Tirana, April 4, 2019 - The Albanian Coalition for Education in Albania and the Children's Rights Centre - CRCA / ECPAT Albania, presented this morning to the UPR UN Working Group in Geneva, the periodic alternative report on the situation of children and youth rights in Albania. This group part of the UN Human Rights Committee reviews every year the situation and human rights violations in each member state.

The Universal Periodic Review Report (UPR) was prepared by a broad coalition of national networks and organizations in Albania, comprising: Albanian Coalition for Education- ACE, CRCA / ECPAT Albania, National Youth Network in Albania - ANYN, National Helpline for Children - ALO 116, National Children's Rights Network in Albania "Action for Children". The report focused on the violations and key factors regarding the protection and advancement of the rights of children and young people in Albania for a period of four years.

The ACE National Coordinator, Linda Pino, stressed, "The state budget does not contain almost any voice to support friendly services for children and young people so they are not victims of sexual violence, slavery, or illegal immigration! In this regard, we recommended that the Albanian Government must increase the budget for education in order to ensure that quality, equitable, and free inclusive education is provided to all children and young people across the country. 

With reference to education situation of children and youth in Albania UPR alternative report shares some worrying facts:

• Only 2.9% of GDP is allocated to education
• More than 100,000 children in Albania who, due to difficult economic conditions, have no equal opportunity to regularly attend their public education as their peers.
• Almost 28% of children live in difficult economic conditions and are under the care of cash assistance provided by the government and money support and more than 50,000 children who have to attend compulsory education are forced to work.
• About 15,000 Albanian children are out of school;
• About 22% of Roma children belonging to the age group 10-18 years old have never been to school.
• About 43% of children with disabilities in Albania do not attend pre-university education