Two Albanian child-rights organisations have been nominated to win an award from the Swedish Child10 organisation for their work against trafficking and the exploitation of minors.
Almost one-third of all of those trafficked in Europe are children and most of them are girls who are trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Each year, Child10 recognises ten brave and inspiring leaders who fight for his valuable cause.
The two Albanian organisations that have been nominated include the VATRA Psycho-Social Centre and The Children’s Human Right Centre of Albania. They have been put forward under the theme of “Girls rights have no price” for their contribution towards protecting children from trafficking and exploitation.
Between 4-5 November, Sara Damber the Chairperson of Child10 will visit Tirana to meet with the organisations to discuss the work they have and are doing.
She said:
“VATRA and CRCA/ECPAT Albania are both organizations who have been working to protect and prevent children from being trafficked and exploited for many years and we are very impressed by their holistic approach and the wide range of services that they provide to this vulnerable group. I am very happy to visit Tirana and to meet with the nominees next week!”
VATRA was established in 1999 and has contributed significantly to Albanian policy regarding the issue of trafficking. They also run several shelters and a legal clinic. The CRCA is one of Albania’s largest children’s rights organisations. They work to increase child participation at a local and national level through policy and legislative improvement.
Albania is both a source and transit county for women and girls that are then trafficked throughout Europe. UNICEF raised the alarm this year that despite government attempts, human trafficking is a very real issue in Albania.
The US State Department also noted that Albania must do more in the fight against trafficking. This includes investigation, prosecuting, and punishing traffickers including officials who cooperate with them.
“The government sentenced five traffickers in 2018 and 2019, the lowest number of convictions since 2014.” – emphasizes the report.
According to the Department, the Albanian government does not fully meet the required minimum standards for eliminating trafficking but is making efforts to do so. It is currently ranked as a “tier 2” country.
