SOUTH EAST EUROPE: Report on the implementation of the UNICEF Guidelines for the Protection of the Rights of Child Victims of Trafficking

Terre des hommes has launched a report on the implementation of the "UNICEF guidelines on the protection of the rights of the child victims of trafficking" in South East Europe.

The report, which compares the situation in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia, finds that the general level of service provided to child victims of trafficking has improved significantly, but  that considerable improvements must still be made.

Key findings of the report

  • Compliance with the UNICEF guidelines on legislative, administrative and procedural frameworks was generally found to be good but implementation is still far from satisfactory.
  • Exploited children continue to be subjected to mistreatment due to weak case management practices
  • A large proportion of children are not identified or granted victim status and therefore do not benefit from the care they are entitled to.
  • Short-term solutions offered to child victims meet the standards of the UNICEF guidelines. However, a lack of adequate durable solutions such as non-residential care alternatives are lacking.
  • Children are only properly supported by a  guardian and have access to someone to listen to them and safeguard their best interests in a very limited number of cases.
  • Public Social Services structures are not equipped with sufficient resources to conduct their work and often lack relevant childcare expertise to ensure the proper protection of children.
  • The judiciary has not adequately adapted their practices to the cases of children, very often leading to cases of re-victimisation.
  • Inclusive training impact assessment is necessary among all actors to assess the gaps in competence and to build a training strategy based on these identified gaps.

Further information

pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/Tdh_South_Eastern_Europe.pdf

Please note that these reports are hosted by CRIN as a resource for Child Rights campaigners, researchers and other interested parties. Unless otherwise stated, they are not the work of CRIN and their inclusion in our database does not necessarily signify endorsement or agreement with their content by CRIN.