Albania, UNICEF ink MoU on better protection of children

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Migrants and refugee children wait near a registration camp in the southern Serbian town of Presevo on September 11, 2015. A record 5,000 migrants have arrived at Serbia's border with Hungary over the past 24 hours, a television report said on September 10. Some 3,000 of them have already entered into Hungary, the state RTS television said. Most of the migrants are moving through Hungary on their way to Germany and other northern countries where they hope to win asylum. Some 50 buses transporting around 2,500 migrants as well as three trains with around 3,000 others left on September 9 to 10 overnight from Gevgelija, on the Macedonian side of its border with Greece towards Serbia, according to AFP journalists. The EU unveiled plans to take 160,000 refugees from overstretched border states, as the United States said it would accept more Syrians to ease the pressure from the worst migration crisis since World War II. AFP PHOTO / ARMEND NIMANI (Photo credit should read ARMEND NIMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

 

The Albanian parliament and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)to promote children’s rights in the country.

“Adopting better child protection legislation, protection and promotion of the rights of the child in collaboration with the government in compliance with the international standards are the objectives of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by parliament and UNICEF Monday,” a release by the parliament said.

Parliament Speaker Gramoz Ruci said parliament would work to ensure full compliance of the Albanian legislation with international standards and those of the Council of Europe on children’s rights.

“We will also gradually align Albanian legislation with the EU acquis in areas such as protecting children from violence, abuse, harassment,discrimination and neglect; criminal justice for juveniles; the access of children to justice; education, social protection, health and budgeting for the rights of the child,” Ruci said.

Meanwhile, UNICEF representative Ezio Gianni Murzi said that under this memorandum, UNICEF will provide technical assistance and reliable data on the situation of children in Albania, as well as the world’s best practices and experiences.