Albania

Albania, with a population of around 3.2 million, sits on the west side of the Balkan Peninsula, in Eastern Europe.

The first free elections for nearly 50 years took place in 1991 after decades of communist rule. The country’s infrastructure, social services and economy are still in recovery from the transition to democracy and subsequent societal upheaval. Albania remains one of the poorest countries in Europe with high unemployment and serious issues of poverty, organised crime and corruption.

With 34% of the population below the age of 18, Albania is also the ‘youngest’ country in Europe. Trafficking, forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation are daily threats, especially for young people of the Roma ethnic minority. Other concerns facing children include low teaching standards, little awareness of HIV transmission, no separate juvenile justice system and the general trend of increased urban overcrowding and rural poverty.

However, the Albanian government has shown commitment to child rights through plans to address child trafficking and juvenile justice legislation, among other issues, and for the first time in 2004 reported to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Some of the reasons why Plan works in Albania

• Nearly a quarter of children do not go to secondary school
• A third of children suffer from stunted growth due to poor nutrition
• A third of children live on less than $2 a day
• 20% of the rural population do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities