Kosovo without law for child protection, they are forced to do hard work

Kosovo continues to have no law on child protection. Since 2013, Kosovo institutions had begun drafting such a law, but the same has yet to be adopted. And until Kosovo's children have no law to be protected by, a large number of them because of serious economic conditions, obligations by family members, do serious jobs that are not really for them.

While Kosovo is the country with the most active population in the region and not only, the Ombudsman, Hilmi Jashari, says of Kosovo Press, that such a potential that does not find adequate treatment is a failure of institutions that should not be allowed.

On the basis of monitoring, he says they have observed major violations of children's rights, despite the law prevents children from working and doing serious work under minor age.

Given that, he says they have initiated a report to see failures and problems within the entire system, which would have to offer protection.
“A good argument that can serve us all to reflect and see the failures in empowering legal instruments is delays in adopting the children's protection law, and also for several years it has been flowing in the Kosovo Assembly, but it never succeeds in overcoming that challenge and having a law that is finally adopted and then having copyright actions, in the face of obligations we have. Such a delay, so from nearly four years, is definitely a good argument to prove that there was no real and sincere will to overcome this situation and adopt a law that would offer at least additional support to children in Kosovo”, says Jashar.

Unemployment, pressure from parents, exploitation, and mistreatment are just some of the indicators that push children to work jobs that are not for them.

Sociologist Ferdi Kamberi shows how such a childhood can be affected.

The consequences are many, it directly affects the health of children because in some cases children are exposed to the recycling of waste or face various inorganic matter, which can harm health or expose themselves to various risks and no one deals unfortunately with inspection or monitoring of it... other consequences are the interruption of schooling, and when a society begins to interrupt the Aprior then it also affects the stagnation of that society”, he says.

On the basis of the Labour Law, exactly Article 7 for the conditions and criteria for establishing a working relationship, no employer can link working contracts under the age of 15 and even in these cases, the work they can do should not be burdensome.

” The work relationship can be established with any person aged eighteen. The work relationship can also be established with those between the ages of 15 and eighteen who may be employed for minor jobs that do not pose a threat to their health or development, and if the job is not banned by law or by underground law. No employer can negotiate work contracts with a person under the age of 15”, the article says.

The minister of Labour and Social Management, Skender Recica, is also aware of this, but such cases of violations are evident in Kosovo, as Recica claims.

“We are concerned with dealing with the fact that there may be children in Kosovo who are affected by hard work, under the age of allowed. And for that in the past year under the committee for preventing child labor... we have signed co-operation agreements with almost all the mayors of the municipalities in order that both central and local levels can be together for prevention, namely, combating phenomena, preventing children and keeping them in heavy work. All of this for our children to grow up healthy, our children tou create opportunities for education, to enjoy childhood age”, Recica said.

With this signed agreement, he says there will be a new sensationalisation of all actsmen instead of engaging together, so that children who are not old for work, get educated, and have a better childhood.

However, Jashar has shown what needs to be done for the best protection and treatment of children.

“Coordination in the first place inter-institution, because it is the duty of the state and it is the positive right to ensure and protect children, much more to promote. In both aspects I think we have shortcomings these should be avoided and conveyed along with these international standards we have in the country's constitution. As the convention of children said, one of its guiding principles is the child's best interest”, Yasar declares.

Protecting children's rights was described as a challenge for Kosovo even in European Commission progress reports. Otherwise, June 1 is the International Children's Day. The origin of this date is from the United States and China. In 1925, the Chinese consul general in San Francisco brought together a considerable number of orphaned Chinese children to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

The June 1st festival began to be celebrated in two years. Many countries of the world have accepted it as the international children's holiday and performed celebrations aimed at raising their attention to their welfare.