Author: Ina Allkanjari
He completed only nine grades of school and today distributes flyers as a charity worker, from a businessman who knows about his life. He is 21 years old and his life so far has been a journey between residential centers for orphans. But the day he came of age, all doors were closed to him.
"I am housed in the orphanage in front of the "Besnik Sykja" school in the capital. After I left the children's home, I went to the Social Service and begged for a place to stay, and they gave me a bed in this dormitory where I stay in very scandalous conditions. But my concern is my little sister who is 19 years old. She also grew up in the Children's Home, after reaching the age to leave, an association helped her and offered her shelter, but this year in September her term ends and I don't know where I will send her", writes for "Sinjalizo", a 21-year-old who seeks help because he feels abandoned by the state. He could not benefit from the orphan status and during the verification it was established that the conditions where the young man lives are those of survival.
Raised in residential centers for orphans, for NM, the present is a struggle for survival, and the future is even more bleak.
"I tried for a long time at the doors of state institutions, I went to the municipality to get at least a rent bonus to live with my sister, but they don't give it to me. Recently they told me that I have to find a rental contract, I looked everywhere but they don't give me a contract because they see that I'm poor. I am not the only one who has these problems, but many of my friends who have left the Orphanage do not receive any help, they stay on the streets. I see some of them end up in prison, most of them for theft because they have no bread to eat".
Support for abandoned children without orphan status
The head of the National Institute for the Integration of Orphans, Ilir Çumani, tells "Sinjalizo" that abandoned children who have not received orphan status are offered shelter at state institutions, but do not have the right to be adopted, as long as the parent has not declared abandonment. theirs.
"80% of socially orphaned children live in these residences, which means that they have not lost their parents, but are children with economic needs, with parents who are unable to help and trust the state until they recover and to return him to the family. The deinstitutionalization project aims at this, to remove these children from the institutions, bring them closer to their relatives, and the state to assist them with economic aid.
This category turns out to be given economic assistance of almost 20 dollars per month. "This is a ridiculous support that the state gives to these categories, unlike what happens with countries in the region such as Kosovo, which offers economic assistance of 100 euros for a child, Macedonia also 120 euros", recalls Çumani.
"Sinjalizo" turned to the Social Service to be informed about the support that this institution provides for children who are in a street situation, and have not benefited from orphan status.
In response to "Sinjalizo", the Social Service says that the local government has set up a Child Protection Unit at each Administrative Unit, a key element of child protection in Albania. In each PMF unit (child protection worker), identifies children in street situations and refers the case to institutions that can receive the necessary Services.
"In itself, the MUMF is a national system of child protection (which includes the efforts of all sectors for the best interest of the child. Children who need alternative care are referred to SHSSH for commissioning and systematization in PISH for children. These institutions are divided according to age groups of children, namely (0-6 years old), (6-15 years old) and (16-18 years old)", writes the Social Service.
Law on Orphans
According to the Albanian legislator, orphan status is granted in accordance with the Law No. 8153, dt. 31.10.1996. In the legislation, it is determined that persons aged 0-25, who are born out of wedlock, benefit from orphan status; neither parent is alive; who have been deprived of the parental rights of both parents by a final decision of the court or have been deprived of the parental rights for one parent and the other parent is not living; who are abandoned by both parents and their identity is not known.
Within the framework of the benefited status, this category benefits from the law placement in Public and private institutions of social care; Priority in employment and housing; Study rights according to inclinations and abilities, full scholarship, clothing treatments for the school years; The orphan who finishes school and has not yet settled down to work is given economic assistance; Orphans who continue school for the summer period (holidays) are treated with a supplementary payment (determined by VKM).
The head of the National Institute for the Integration of Orphans indicates that today there are about 31 orphaned children in Albania, where 000 of them who have benefited from orphan status receive Services in 1600 governmental and non-governmental residential centers.
"There is no official figure today, neither by Instat, nor by the social Services, nor by the local government or the Ministry of the Interior. In these 30 years, no real study has been done to understand the real number of orphans who need state support, and this is where the whole problem lies. Because having more detailed information, an action plan is made through studies to come to the aid of social categories in the forms that they need to be assisted, protected and integrated into social life”, says Čumani.
According to the law, orphans are kept in state or private institutions of social care until the age of 15. In cases where the child within this age has not been able to complete the 9-year school, it is kept until the age of 17. After this age, by decision of the Council of Ministers, scholarships and clothing treatment for the secondary and high school years for this category are determined.
"The reality is different since we are facing a situation that is not favorable for this category, where in many cases we have situations where orphan children drop out of high school, leave their centers and turn to other ways to survive. Here I think that the state should be more attentive because this category after the age of 16 is the most delicate category where these children get out of control, if they do not have a protector to make their transition very smoothly and without problems . The fact shows that we are facing non-optimistic situations because the local government is still not taking its responsibilities to understand that it has a legal obligation to respond until this child is systematized in the labor market and really integrated into the life of society", insists for "Sinjalizo" Ilir Çumani.
The State Social Service says on the other hand that according to the statistics of the Social Security Service until June 2022 in Albania there are 768 orphans who benefit from the status, while emphasizing that for the year 2021, 150 children have benefited from orphan status for the first time and during the first 6 months of this year, 91 children received orphan status for the first time.
Regarding the monthly payments that benefit orphans, the social service mentions a decision of the council of ministers changed in 2021, in which the additional fund for economic assistance went from 3 ALL to 9 ALL.
But the number of those who have succeeded and are employed is negligible. During the last two years, only six orphans have been employed. But the Albanian state does not have data on what percentage of orphans have professional education.
With orphan status but abandoned by the state
Ervis Veizi, 32 years old, is from Shkodra and has the status of an orphan. In the midst of a difficult life, he managed to complete his higher education.
"I was born in Durrës and grew up in Shkodër, where I currently live. It has been very difficult for me to get to where I am today, as I have had no financial support. I stayed at the children's home until I was 15 years old, then the state sent me to a dormitory where I stayed until I finished my higher education. The state helped me with a scholarship of 10 new lek per month until I finished high school. Normally, it was very difficult to make ends meet with this amount, because I had to be clothed, fed, and meet basic needs.", Veizi confesses that immediately after finishing the university he got a job at an association and with this income he pays the rent.
As the most difficult stage in life, he remembers the age of 15, when you leave your childhood home.
"I went to a dormitory where I didn't know anyone. The conditions were not very good, I suffered a lot, I received only 10 thousand new lek per month. I have found the greatest support to move forward from Ilir Cumani, the head of the National Institute for the Integration of Orphans, orienting me on everything, papers, documents, everything I needed, since I was very young, I had no information to which institution I should go. I didn't receive any orientation from the children's home when I reached the age of 15, after leaving the children's home they don't want to go there anymore. When the state won't know, neither will the child's home".
Although according to the legislation, persons with the status of orphans have priority in housing, the 32-year-old says that today he has his own apartment, which he managed to buy by himself, without receiving any help from the state.
"The municipality did not help me with social housing or housing, I entered the job market all by myself and tried through many difficulties to achieve the stability I have today", says the young man.
Veizi felt abandoned by everyone and endangered to ensure survival at the age of 15. He says that after leaving the child's home and staying in the dormitory, during the 3 months of summer the dormitory was closed, leaving the children homeless orphans.
"Many young people slept on the streets, who they knew slept with their friends, it was a very difficult period", the young man ends the conversation with "Signalize".
Raised an orphan, still homeless today
Merita Bozo, now 54 years old, was denied her entire life by her biological parents. Raised in the Children's Home in the capital, then in a boarding school during which she attended higher education for laboratory technicians. After completing her higher education, Merita was unable to get housing and even today she is abandoned by the state authorities, unable to provide her with a social housing.
"Irresponsible state for us orphans. I worked hard all my life as a laboratory technician in the Sanatorium because I had a higher education, but it has been a few months since I was not allowed to practice the profession. They passed me on to cleaning and they give me a minimum payment. Meanwhile, the state did not offer me an apartment, I live on rent and pay 250 old lek per month myself. How do I make ends meet, I am an orphan and after so many years I still do not find any support", says Merita Bozo.
Cumani expresses pessimism about dozens of others who also scan the perspective.
"Based on the information, statistics and experience that I have had in all these years, I have to say that I am not optimistic about the expectations because there is still a lot of work that needs to be done by the institutions. Therefore, it is necessary to have mechanisms of help and protection that the state should encourage to stimulate, to make life safer for these children, in order to awaken in them the sense of self-reliance and initiative.", says Çumani.
Abandonments and adoptions
Regarding the number of abandoned children, Ilir Çumani says that only in Tirana's maternity hospital, about 30 children are abandoned every year. "On a national scale, the abandonment of children is a phenomenon that is inevitable due to the social and economic problems faced by women and young mothers, who do not find support from state institutions to guarantee them protection and support. Therefore, in such conditions, they find the shortest way to abandon these children", declares Çumani, as he dwells on adoptions, emphasizing that their number in the last 3 years has decreased to 13-15 adoptions per year. According to him, this is due to the social situation of the country during this period.
But the Social Service points out to "Sinjalizo" that over the last three years, 56 children have been adopted.
