10 November 2018

Ombudsperson Files A Report On The Exploitation Of Children's Labor In Bulqize


OMBUDSPERSON FILES A REPORT ON THE EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN'S LABOR IN BULQIZE

The Ombudsperson Institution, based on Article 37 of Law no. 8454 dated 4.2.1999 "On the Ombudsman" amended, on its own initiative, has completed the drafting of the special report "Child labor in the Municipality of Bulqiza" for the protection of children from economic exploitation. The report was sent to the Assembly of the Republic of Albania for further consideration.

The purpose of this report includes not only the finding of the current state of affairs widely reported to public opinion. The report concretely looks at performance in the framework of legal obligations on child protection by the responsible institutions such as the Prefect, the Municipality of Bulqiza, the Child Protection Unit, the Regional Education Directorate, the Regional Employment Directorate, the Regional Directorate of the Inspectorate Labor Office, Regional Directorate of the State Social Service, Regional Directorate of Taxation, Police Commissariat of Bulqiza.

Also, the purpose of this report is to give recommendations to these responsible institutions.

Based on the functional duties and competences recognized by the law in terms of protecting and guaranteeing the rights of children, these are the very structures that should actively identify cases of child labor exploitation wherever this phenomenon occurs.

Also, the priority treatment of any reported case of the child used and the undertaking of concrete actions for the removal of the child from the economic exploitation situation should constitute one of the main challenges in fulfilling the legal obligations for the implementation of the most high child.

In support of international and domestic legislation and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, countries have the positive obligation under Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms to prevent forced labor and trafficking, protect victims and punish users and traffickers.

The Ombudsperson Institution of Albania, in function of the fulfillment of constitutional and legal obligations, undertook the abovementioned actions for the effective guarantee of the exercise, respect and protection of children's rights.