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Information about Vlora region

Indicators (district level) Indicators (commune level)

Facts from the history of Vlora Region
Address of the Council of Vlora Region
A summary about the situation of children rights in the Region
Regional Strategy for Children's Rights
Observatory Address:
Role and responsibilities of Observatory
Children Rights Unit (CRU) Address:
Children Rights Unit (CRU) roles and responsibilities
Child Protection Unit (CPU) roles and responsibilities

1. Facts from the history of Vlora Region

Vlora district has an area of 2706 km ² and a costal border of 244 km. It includes Delvina district (348 km / 2), Saranda (749 km / 2) and the district of Vlora (1609 km / 2). The Centre of Vlora District is located in the city of Vlora. It share borders with the District of Fier in the north, with the district of Gjirokastra in the east, with Greece to the south and with Adriatic and Ionian Sea from the southwest to the west along the coast. Vlora District Population is 374,168 (2010) inhabitants and it has a density of 138.2 banor/km2.

Vlora is anciently known as Aulon. The earliest traces go back to the VI century. BC.
Ali Pasha Tepelena invaded it in 1812. Vlora was the first capital of independent Albania. On November 28, 1912 the National Assembly announced Independence here in Sarajevo Vlorajve and it formed the government under Prime Minister Ismail Kemal Bey Vlora

Saranda is the second largest city in the district of Vlora and it is one of the biggest tourist attractions of the Albanian Riviera. It is only 2 nautical miles from Corfu and nearby there are the remains of the ancient city of Butrint, declared by UNESCO as World Heritage. Delvina is only 16 km northeast of Saranda. There is a medieval castle near the town. At the southwest of Delvina there are the ancient city ruins of Phenicia- today known as Finiqi, which in 2005 was recognized as an Archaeological Park.

2. Address of the Council of Vlora Region

Këshilli i Qarkut Vlorë , Sheshi "4 Heronjtë", Vlorë
e-Mail: qarku.vlore@yahoo.com

3. A summary about the situation of children rights in the Region

Vlora region is populated mostly from the young. Children aged 0-18 years old comprise 25% of the total population of the county (374.168) (General Directorate of Civil Registration in Tirana Interior Ministry 2010).

A novel spirit is felt in the institutions in general as it regard the of children in various state institutions where these problems are dealt with. This shows the awareness of local institutions in terms of recognizing the rights of children. In 2010 the Unit for the Rights of the Child was set up inside the structures of the Council of Vlora district. In 2010, both in Vlora and Saranda Municipality the Child Protection Unit was established. During 2011 the Council set up a monitoring network with 26 representatives in each municipality and commune of the region.

Schools are equipped with IT labs but it should be noted that in most schools they are not functional due to misuse, due to theft of equipment.

Although the percentage of families that benefit from the economic aid and who have children aged 0-18 years old is small at regional level (about 2%), there are a lot of economic problems. Usually families with economic issues live in big cities like Vlora and Saranda.
Roma children are concentrated in Novosela, Susica and Delvina Municipality and a phenomenon that is widespread is the arrival of Roma families from Korca and Elbasan every spring, which start living on the streets of the city of Vlora and Saranda and primarily use their children to beg on the streets. In Vlora region, there are only 3 centers providing services for orphaned children or children who live in extreme poverty or lack one of the parents. These institutions are:
- the baby House in Vlora;
- the Center of developing dishabilles in Vlora municipality
- the child House in Saranda - which serves as a day center.

There is a general awareness by all communes and municipalities of the region to respect the rights of children and the creation of appropriate conditions for children.

4. Regional Strategy for Children's Rights

The only regional strategy for children's rights in Vlora is the strategy and Action Plan 2011-2013 of Vlora region.

5. Observatory Address:

Contact person: Jonida Rustemaj
Observatory for Children's Rights Vlora
Sheshi “ 4 Heronjtë” , Këshillli i Qarkut Vlorë , Kati 3-të.

6. Role and responsibilities of Observatory:

Observatory for Children's Rights is a civil structure set up in Vlora region in 2010, which aim is gathering information from all state and local institutions and study the situation of the implementation of children's rights at the regional level and national levels.

The most important duties of the Observatory are:

Establishing institutional cooperation regionally with all representatives both of public institutions and non-public.
Periodic data collection from health care institutions, Education, Social Protection, the Regional Coordinator of the Alliance, Child Protection Offices and NGOs at local and regional level.
Prepare an annual report on the progress of implementation of policies and indicators for the realization of children's rights in the respective regions
Collect periodic reports and other materials produced by different agencies locally and internationally.
Support the work of groups, consultants and stakeholders at local and regional level in order to guide and help develop regional policies and strategies to fulfill and respect the rights of children, by organizing meetings with various interest groups.
Prepare and disseminates public awareness materials on the rights of children, in close cooperation with the regional coordinators of ACA.
Organize and conduct observations, surveys, interviews with different focus groups (children, parents communities, teachers and school leaders, officials and local experts and professionals otherwise), to draw conclusions regarding the implementation of children's rights.
Collect and archive occasions / events / facts on the ground, which illustrate the implementation or non-implementation of children's rights.

7. Children Rights Unit (CRU) Address:

Contact person: Zhulieta Kume
Njësia për të drejtat e fëmijëve Vlorë
Këshilli i Qarkut Vlorë , Sheshi “ 4 Heronjtë”
e-Mail: infoturizmi@qakuvlore.gov.al

8. Children Rights Unit (CRU) roles and responsibilities:

To monitor and evaluate how the implementation of laws and policies which deal with the protection of child rights in its regional jurisdiction;
To identify and coordinate the referral of cases of violations or abuse, misuse of the rights of children in its regional jurisdiction;
To coordinate multi-disciplinary team functioning, to identify, analyze and refer cases of domestic violence in its regional jurisdiction;
To cooperate and exchange information on the rights of the child with each facility responsible for health, education, police, local government, the municipalities and communes, or civil society;
To organize informative, educational and training meetings for child rights in the region;
To report to the Regional Council on the progress of the rights of the child in its regional jurisdiction;
To report periodically to the State Agency for Protection of Child Rights the studied statistical data for the state of child rights in the region;
To submit periodically to the State Agency for Protection of Child Rights information on the situation of the implementation of child rights in the region.

9. Child Protection Unit (CPU) roles and responsibilities:

Identify children in need.
Perform initial assessment of all children referred to the Unit.
Prepare individual child plan for each child to take under its protection.
Coordinate and organize meetings for the protection of the child to discuss individually the children.
Monitor the implementation of the Individual Child Protection.
Analyze the situation of children receiving services.
Perform individual work with children and families as for example counseling, family visits.
Advise policies and social services at City Hall
Promote and make aware the inhabitants of the municipality and various structures on children's rights and their protection issues.

Prepared by: Jonida Rustemaj,
Expert, Observatory for Children's Rights, Vlorë