Human Trafficking in [Macedonia] [other countries]
Street Children in [Macedonia] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Macedonia] [other countries]
 

Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children

Republic of Macedonia [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The Republic of Macedonia [map] is located in SE Europe and is bordered by Serbia and Montenegro (N), Albania (W), Greece (S), and Bulgaria (E). Its capital and largest city is Skopje. Unemployment at one-third of the workforce remains a critical economic problem.

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Macedonia. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children work in the informal sector, in illegal small businesses, and on the streets and in markets selling cigarettes and other small items. Girls are involved in commercial sexual exploitation on the streets of Macedonia.

CURRENT GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO ELIMINATE THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR - The Government of Macedonia has an Ombudsperson for the Rights of Children, which is responsible for all child-related matters and is in charge of the Department for Child Protection. The government operates the “Project for Children on the Streets” to prevent child labor. UNICEF is working to increase quality and access to education for all children as well as enhance services for vulnerable children, and promote and monitor the implementation of the Convention of the Rights of Children

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

CHILDREN - Romani children were often organized into groups by Romani adults and made to beg for money at busy intersections, street corners, and in restaurants and cafes.

According to some estimates, there were between 500 and 1 thousand street children in the country, most of whom were Roma. With international support, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy operated a day center for street children. The minister of labor reported that the center has served at least 265 children to date.

SECTION 6 WORKER RIGHTS – [d] There were no official reports of child labor during the year; however, there was evidence that child labor was used in the "gray economy," including for begging on the street and selling cigarettes and other small items at open markets, in the streets, and in bars or restaurants, sometimes at night. The children involved in these activities were almost exclusively Roma. Officials did not punish such violations and children remained vulnerable to exploitation.

While the government did little to raise public awareness on child labor abuse, NGOs were active in organizing workshops on children's rights. International donors supported programs to prevent children from working on the street and to increase school enrollment of children at risk for such work.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2000

[42] The Committee acknowledges the recent marked increases in the enrolment of children in primary schools and other increases in secondary and university enrolment. However, the Committee remains concerned that a significant proportion of school-aged children do not attend primary and, notably, secondary school. Specifically, the Committee is concerned at the low proportion of girls in general, and children from the Roma minority in particular, who enroll in educational establishments at all levels, and at the low numbers of children from all minority groups who enroll at the secondary school level. The Committee is concerned, further, at the extremely high drop-out rates of girls from primary and secondary education.

[50] The Committee is concerned at the reported incidence of child labor within the State party, and notes that the labor of children under 15 may also prevent these children from attending primary school and is particularly prevalent among certain minority groups.

Report on Situation with Children Rights in Macedonia

Fatime is five. She has five more siblings between the ages of two and ten that earn their living begging on the streets of Skpoje. She wears a faded, oversized skirt and a blouse that looks like discarded rag. She has no shoes and wanders the streets barefooted. She can’t remember when was the last time she had a bath or when was it that her clothes were washed. She has never gone to a doctor.

“I have to beg, for otherwise we won’t have nothing to eat. I try to stay away from the police, for they would take me to the homeless children institution. I get tired running, but I sleep it over under the stairs. My father doesn’t beat me up,” says Fatime as her father Rasim approaches and hits her over the head with a plastic bottle filled with water.

His kids’ “working hours” are from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m. The six of them can earn 300-400 Denars daily.

Daycare Center for Street Children Opens¹

[3530] The new model will not provide any spectacular results. However, with hard work, by opening several centers more, we will manage to get them out of streets. By their stay in the Center, children will be protected from economic exploitation," said Manasievski. Mobile teams are going to check all the streets in the city. Without presence from police, the teams are going to influence children in order to draw them out of streets and take them to Daycare Center.

Public Attorney - Ombudsman - Department For Protection Of Children’s Rights

2.  A specific problem that we thought had to be resolved was the protection of street children whose numbers grew daily due to the transition, unemployment and the economic crisis in the Republic of Macedonia. It was established that these were children who had parents, but who are abused by them by forcing them to beg, sell cigarettes or similar activities every day in order to earn a living for the family.

Activities 2000-2001

CONCRETE ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR PROTECTION OF CHILDREN’S RIGHTS - On the basis of the monitoring of the state of children on the street/street children it has submitted a proposal for the opening of a shelter for this category of children and which will work as a sort of a day center with the purpose of helping the children and their parents accomplish their rights, protecting the children and creating conditions for the children to remain with their families. The proposal has been accepted and is being carried out.

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Human Trafficking in [Macedonia] [other countries]
Street Children in [Macedonia] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Macedonia] [other countries]