THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDREN IN MACEDONIA: Findings and Recommendations by MEGJASHI and

the OMBUDSMAN

Friday, 20 November, 2015 - The need for protection of children's rights stems from the fact that

they represent a highly vulnerable social group that can easily be exposed to abuse and violence.

According to the UN, children are exposed to violence, exploitation, victimization by adults daily, but

also to hunger, diseases and lack of socio-economic conditions for a healthy and active life in the

countries that are considered poor or developing countries.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child - an important civilizational step forward and a key

document

In 1989 the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child and with that the

protection of children have received internationally the most significant act of child protection as a

document which has the highest number of ratifications in the countries declaring firmly the

expressed will to improve the rights of the child especially expressed by the Convention provisions

on the protection of rights and the possibility of participation in activities, and the introduction of

minimum standards of health care, education and social protection.

The most important principles and convention points for child protection

According to the principles, all children and youth have the same rights, are entitled to the highest

possible level of health, the right to free primary education, free to express their opinion and to be

heard. The children and young people have the right of a good upbringing. Their parents or the

educators must not use force, violence and the abuse is prohibited. The children and young people

have the right to receive special protection and assistance in war conditions and in escaping. The

children and young people have the right to be protected from exploitative work and sexual abuse.

They have the right to live with their parents and to maintain contact with both parents if they live

separately. The children and young people who are disabled, are entitled to special support and

promotion, as well as to active participation in the social life.

Fight against inequity

"The world continues to be unfair place for living for the poorest and most disadvantaged children

despite the great progress made since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in

1989. Among them there are children from the poorest households, children with disabilities and

children refugees and migrants”, say the UNICEF Office in Skopje, which on today's World Children's

Day, started a campaign" Fight against inequity", which aims to foster action for the most vulnerable

children in the world.

The situation with the protection and rights of the children in Macedonia

The First Children’s Embassy in the World – Megjashi say that the situation of the children in

Macedonia is getting worse, especially the violence against them. They emphasize that the

prevention is the most effective form of struggle against child abuse, but there is a need of

committed parents, civil society organizations, media, civil institutions whose work priority will be

the implementation and observance of the children’s rights.

"We alarm about the deterioration of the situation with the children, particularly the violence

against them in order to encourage the civil society organizations, government institutions and other

international actors to be active in preparing strategies and programs for prevention of abuse and to

encourage the international community in its commitment to eliminate the violence against

children. Every year on this day one form of child abuse is emphasized. This year the emphasis is

placed on prevention of the peer violence" say the Children’s Embassy Megjashi.

The Ombudsman, as he indicated in the Annual Report on Human Rights, says that in Macedonia

there are numerous problems with the rights of the child. The Ombudsman specifically underlines

that the children in the family are still not treated adequately, particularly in cases of disagreement

between the parents. The right to free education is not respected in all schools, so some of the

children are forced to pay for transportation to school. The street children, children drug users and

children with educational and social problems are children at risk, and the state does not yet have a

complete system for their effective protection and does not provide access to their rights. Children

belonging to the Roma community are mostly segregated in special classes during entries in the first

grade of a primary and first year of a secondary school. Children / persons with disabilities are still

facing problems in the access and the exercise of their rights.

We recommend the inter-municipal centers for social work to take sustained measures for

monitoring and working with families to improve the relationship of the parents to their children, to

create appropriate conditions for quality education and the right to free transportation to all schools

in the country. All authorities, institutions and agencies have to take serious measures in order to

provide comprehensive and quality care, professional support and medical treatment of children at

risk and they have to respect consistently the Law of primary / secondary school enrollment of

students and to respect the multi-ethnicity in formation of classes in schools. Also, it is necessary to

create practical conditions for the smooth realization of the rights of the children / persons with

disabilities, "says the Ombudsman.

The rights of children is a subject of analysis in this year's European Commission Report on

Macedonia's progress. The Report says that the most marginalized children who are outside the

education and health system, as well as the children with disabilities continue to face problems in

accessing their rights.

In terms of children's rights, the Law on Protection of the Children was amended in order to

introduce services for early childhood development and expansion of the scope of protection of

children. New kindergartens and centers for early childhood development were opened, and the

latter provided a range of quality services, especially for the vulnerable children. However, the

services for protection of children at highest risks remained limited. The most marginalized children

who are outside the education and health system, as well as children with disabilities continue to

face problems in accessing their rights. The National Commission for Children's Rights still lacks

qualified personnel and funding. The office of the Ombudsman received 124 complaints in 2014

about violations of the children's rights. The lack of systematic data collection in this area remains a

major disadvantage” the Report says.