Press release

The state must do more to protect children from violence

Pristina, October 22 – The non-governmental organization Syri i Vizioni from Peja in partnership with the organization Save the Children, within the framework of the “Week against violence against children”, held a conference on the topic “What has the state done, or should it do in the protection of children”, where representatives of the institutions that mandate the protection and respect of children’s rights participated. At the conference, those present agreed that not enough has been done by the responsible institutions in the prevention and referral of violence against children, despite the existence of effective mechanisms.
“Civil society is doing a lot in preventing cases of violence against children, and institutions should take into account the reports, research and recommendations issued by civil society and incorporate them into their active policies, and not to remain only in drawers”, said the people’s advocate Mr. Hilmi Jashari.
On the other hand, the Directorate of Education in the Municipality of Pristina has emphasized how civil society has helped in the drafting of policies to protect children from violence in schools, and very soon the Municipality of Pristina will establish the Office for School Safety in cooperation with local and international organizations dealing with the field of child protection.

\”We have drawn up a strategy and work plan for safety in schools based on which the Office for safety in schools will work, which will also coordinate the work of organizations in the schools of Pristina,\” said the director of education in the municipality of Pristina , Mrs. Arberi Nagavci.

While the Kosovo Police have highly appreciated the work that civil society is doing in the field of preventing violence against children and the cooperation they have with civil society and that they have sought to increase coordination and cooperation between the responsible actors, especially in increasing the awareness of citizens.

\”The community should be made aware, especially parents, to report cases of violence against children and not to use violence against children, and there should be more awareness campaigns for children to report cases of violence,\” said Mentor Cakolli from the Police of Kosovo.
In this conference, the need for the adoption of the law for the protection of children and the prohibition of corporal punishment of children everywhere, not only in schools, was emphasized. Eye of Vision and Save the Children have said that such an article has already been included in the draft law that is being drafted.

Representatives of civil society, the Center for Social Work, the Probation Service have requested that the Government of Kosovo allocate a special fund in the field of child protection, that activities be developed continuously and genuine policies and practices be drawn up to improve the position of children in Kosovo. It has also been requested to increase cooperation and communication between all responsible actors both at the local level and at the central level as well as between these two levels.
The “Week against violence against children” campaign, of which the conference was a part, is held in the framework of the “Together for children’s rights” project, implemented by the NGO Syri i Vizioni in partnership with Save the Children in several municipalities of Kosovo.