70 per cent of children aged between 8 and 18 in Albania affected by some form of violence based on a report by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in 2018.
46 per cent of these cases are not reported due to indifference and even 36 per cent because victims don’t believe in the justice system.
Although corporal punishment is illegal in educational institutions, physical and psychological violence exists in all levels of society. “High levels of physical and psychological violence against children in educational settings and at home.” said Dunja Mijatović Commissioner. The delegation asked the authorities to improve actions against child violence by developing child protections services and professional education. Zero-tolerance attitude towards violence against children is suggested.
Today, the Child Rights Center Albania (CRCA) criticised Parliament for failing to approve amendments to the Criminal Code for the protection of children especially in the areas of violence, bullying and internet use.
The issue is that child abusers and other offenders have political connections in Albania and so they may avoid punishment after their crime. An actual example is the case of Socialist Party vote collector, who is suspected of beating a 3-year-old boy. The court process prosecutor is the child of the Socialist Party head and she repeatedly recommended to dismiss the case.