The Mayor of Tirana is working on building a kid friendly city. Started with playgrounds, kindergartens and nurseries and still has further motivation to build more playgrounds and better schools. Thanks to his nomination by UNICEF Albania, he was invited to the First International Child Friendly Cities Summit and in his speech, he said he managed to “transform Tirana into an exemplary city where children are first.”
But is it true?
A mother, who was born and raised in Tirana collected some facts about her concerns about the health and safety in the city.
- Tirana is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and only second in terms of European cities.
- The tap water is not safe for human, but the local water company refuse to accept that fact.
- The paint on the newly installed bicycle lanes is toxic to human.
- An illegally employed girl was promoted by the Mayor as an exemplary opportunity for work. The journalists who started investigations into the case lost their jobs.
- The Mayor uses children for his propaganda.
- He retweeted a picture of a naked child in the fountains, which is illegal and morally wrong.
- A Director of a Kindergarten who was beating and abusing children has not been suspended because of her connections with the political party.
- The playgrounds are in bad condition with broken and worn-out equipment.
- The quality of roads and pavements are really bad, almost impossible to go anywhere with a stroller.
When Veliaj said that “a city that invests in children means it is investing in a better future society” he was right, but looking at the facts, he might be losing his society instead of building a better one.