Children being misused in election campaigns

It is seen by various organisations as a misuse of children, and especially by the KOMF organisation that deals with their rights.

Donjeta Kelmendi, director of the organisation, says the use of children has already become the practice of parties to use in election campaigns.

The exploitation of children in election campaigns has already become the practice of political subjects in their election campaigns, exploiting children of political party promotion, or exploiting their election programmes.

We have reacted both as a coalition and in past elections where we have appealed to political parties, but parents and children, as well as to appeal that this does not happen, is not harmful to children's interest in politicising children for the purpose of political parties.

She says that they have called for reports of such cases.

We have also called on the media during the coverage of campaigns to report when faced in such cases because it is also prohibited by law. Even in this campaign which we have begun, we call on children not to use their children for their own purposes or for their” election programmes, she says, for EO.

Kelmendi also urges parents not to politicise their children and take them with them to party gatherings.

She also appealed that the schools too be careful not to allow students to lose their learning process. “We also urge parents not to politicise their children into activities that are organised by political parties, we also urge schools to be careful not to allow children to interrupt the teaching process to join political activities, at the same time calling on children themselves is not in their best interests to participate, no part to politicise, so it is not right for children to be exploited for political parties.

Kelmendi says children belong in school rather than in the campaign.

She adds that the parties instead of being part of their gatherings are better off introducing financial investment programmes for children, as this could lead to violence among children.

“Children have their responsibilities, they don't have to deal with political parties or election programs, it's not good for children to be politicised can come to the confrontation or violence among peers if they are politicised.

Children do not belong in fields, children belong to school banks near families or in community societies but in no way in campaigns. So far unfortunately children's rights to child protection have not been a priority, within governments it's really regrets that 30 %s of the population make up children”.

Kelmendi says all parties are involved in these phenomena and says it is the same trend as in past elections.

“We have had reactions, including Democracy in Action as far as involvement in election campaigning, cannot say that either party has not included more or less, all parties have included children or exploited children under the campaign. It is a similar trend is not that there is a decline, it continues to have children involved, for more we will expect the results of organisations and media and organisations that monitor campaigns with that we as a coalition do not have mandated monitoring of such processes”, she says.

Sociologist Sami Rexhepi says that involvement of children in election campaigns can negatively affect their personality.

The last “is seen as a growing tendency in the development of children during election campaigns, which is not good at all, nor is it healthy for the development of children. The use of children in the campaign is a very bad message for our children, that the only way to achieve something after a success or after a workplace or a position in society is through political coloring. This is not at all about motivating children to occupy a country that progresses through their creative work”, he says.

Despite these calls, political parties but parents themselves continue to expose children at various electoral gatherings.