Press release
Kosovo needs the Law for the Protection of Children’s Rights
Pristina, December 18- The non-governmental organization Syri i Vizioni from Peja in partnership with the organization Save the Children, on Thursday held a joint conference with institutions mandated to protect children and improve the situation of children in Kosovo.
In this conference, the analysis of the situation of children and the recommendations made by the municipalities in the legislative aspect and the needs of Kosovo for the amendment or drafting of additional laws for the protection of children and the improvement of their situation in our country were presented.
Those present at this conference agreed that there is a delay in the implementation of laws regarding the protection of children’s rights in Kosovo, and there is a lack of coordination and communication between the institutions responsible for the protection of children. This, according to them, is affecting the increase of violence against children, especially violence in schools, but also the involvement of children in juvenile criminal acts, and also being victims of various phenomena.
Also, it has been requested that some laws be amended, such as the State Matura Law, where children who do not pass 50% of the matura test lose the right to receive a high school diploma, the amendment be amended of the Law on social assistance, especially the criterion where the family is conditioned to have a child under the age of five. Those present at this conference requested the amendment of the Criminal Code for minors, where the age of criminal responsibility for minors is reduced to 12 years, and not as it is now 14 years old, they also suggested that the parents should be punished for the children’s actions.
It has also been requested that Kosovo have a specific law for children as soon as possible, such as the Law for the protection of children’s rights, where the prohibition of corporal punishment for children is included in this law.
At the end of the conference, additional recommendations came out, which will be addressed to the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, as well as the Office for Good Governance within the office of the Prime Minister.
Present at this conference were the responsible institutions mandated to protect children, civil society, international organizations for children’s rights and the media. This conference is organized within the program “Together for the rights and protection of children”, implemented by the organization Syri i Vizioni in partnership with Save the Children.
For more information:
Naser Lajqi, project manager
Phone: 044 695 650
e-mail: naser.lajqi@syriivizionit.org
www.syriivizionit.org
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