Child Rights Centre Albania has sent an open letter to European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, requesting urgent assistance for 100,000 children in Albania.
The organisation claim that “at least 100,000 children in Albania” are living in extreme poverty and are at risk of hunger and possibly death. The letter states that the government has demonstrated “unprecedented negligence in organising a support program with food, clothing and shelter” for these children during the Coronavirus pandemic.
The letter continues:
“This large number of children was not created within the day! They have been here for a long time, but my Government has chosen to forget them! If that were not enough, many international organizations operating in Albania, such as UNICEF etc, have also opted to remain silent or do nothing.
Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, these children have been placed in extreme survival conditions, and no one knows if they will survive.”
It explains that the children come from families where parents are unemployed, have many children and struggle to take care of their families. Being locked up at home has also removed the possibility of casual, seasonal, or daily work and there is minimal economic assistance from the government. According to the Centre, the welfare from the state is not enough to feed one child, let alone four.
The letter also states that they had previously tried to contact the government with their concerns but had been ignored.
The organisation calls on the President to give specific assistance to Albania to help children most at risk from the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic
