Regional Child Trafficking Response Programme
Child trafficking continues to be a serious concern in South Eastern Europe, with high numbers of children trafficked for exploitative purposes. Despite increased attention and responses to the issue over the past years from relevant actors in the region, the capacity of governments to undertake effective measures to prevent children from being trafficked and to protect and promote the rights of those who have been trafficked remains limited, mainly because of weak child protection systems, lack of financial and technical resources, a limited understanding of factors that make children exposed to trafficking and failure to address the root causes and the structural dimension of the problem. Apprehension and prosecution of criminal networks and individuals engaged in trafficking remains limited.
What is Save the Children doing?
Between May 2002 and April 2004 Save the Children implemented the first phase of a Regional Child Trafficking Response Programme in South East Europe, which piloted anti-trafficking projects with at-risk and trafficked children in six countries/entities. Through the pilot first phase, Save the Children and its partners in countries increased their understanding of child trafficking issues and identified ways to improve and strengthen anti-child trafficking interventions.
Save the Children continues to see child trafficking as a regional priority in South East Europe (SEE) Therefore, in April 2005 it initiated a phase II of its Child Trafficking Response Programme (CTRP), building upon achievements and lessons learned from phase I. This is a three-year programme that is expected to end in March 2008. The CTRP is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the Oak Foundation and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)
What do we want to achieve?
The overall goal of the CTRP II is to increase protection of the rights of trafficked children and children at risk of being trafficked from selected countries in South East Europe.
The programme’s main objectives are:
1. Prevention of trafficking in children, by understanding and addressing the main risk factors and by strengthening child protection systems in countries
2. Identification of and assistance to trafficked children, removing them to safety, and providing them with appropriate services
3. Reintegration of children who have been trafficked, ensuring their rights are respected and that they are treated in a manner specific to their needs as children
4. Strengthening National Capacity to deliver more effective interventions to protect the rights of trafficked children and children at risk of being trafficked
Where do we work? Save the Children in Albania is the managing agency of this initiative, in which seven countries/entities in South East Europe participate. These are: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia. The CTRP is managed by a regional team, based at Save the Children in Albania’s office, which coordinates and supports all seven projects in countries. At country level, the programme is implemented by Save the Children and NGOs experienced in counter-trafficking and/or child rights work, in collaboration with local anti-trafficking and child protection actors.
Major achievements
April 2007 to March 2008 marked the third and last year of implementation of Save the Children’s Child Trafficking Response Programme in Southeast Europe.
This Programme has positioned Save the Children as a key regional stakeholder in the fight against child trafficking. Its projects and activities are based on a child-centred, child participatory and child rights-focused approach as underlined in the UN CRC.
- Completion of an extensive field-based and child participatory research project across seven countries in Southeast Europe. More than 650 children in 7 countries have been involved.
- The development of community-based child protection networks in 3 participating countries.
- Training and capacity building of “front-line” professionals (e.g. social workers, police officers etc.) mainly on children’s rights and their specific needs in situations of abuse and exploitation (all countries). This has included the writing of training manuals for professionals dealing with child protection.
- Non-formal education activities by the youth-led centres have been implemented. (one country).
- Training and capacity building of staff and advertising of hotlines have increased awareness and the use of hot-lines for children (two countries).
- Provision of assistance, including shelter, counseling and psychosocial support, medical and legal assistance and material aid, as well as support to social inclusion, has been provided to trafficked children (four countries).
- Coordination and cooperation with other actors have taken place to establish/strengthen efficient referral mechanisms and ensure that services are child friendly (all countries/entities).
- A comprehensive impact monitoring systems has been developed from year 2 to document impact of interventions (all countries/entities).
In the final year, besides working to meet the main objectives, the research findings recommended CTRP to focus on prevention interventions by directly addressing groups of children most at risk, i.e. street children, children in institutional care and other socially excluded children.
Activities related to prevention of children from trafficking include:
Out-reach work with children living and/or working on the street (Drop-in centre in Belgrade)
Youth led activities in areas of trafficking in Albania and IDP camp in Montenegro
The establishment of child protection networks/units at local level in close cooperation with national/local authorities and other NGOs that operate in certain areas.
Producing a child friendly version of the research report from each country as a feedback to participating children in the research project and for awareness raising purposes.
Using the research to formulate key advocacy messages and carry out extensive advocacy campaign at both national and regional levels, involving children and other key actors, to focus attention on preventive messages
Strengthening links with other actors working on anti-child trafficking, like UNICEF, Terre des hommes.
At regional level,
The regional management team (RMT) provided management, direction and analysis of the regional research and helped country teams draft advocacy messages. In addition to that, the RMT used the research findings to draft key advocacy messages on the prevention of child trafficking at international arena. (i.e. the launch of the regional research report “Children speak out. Trafficking Risk and Resilience in South East Europe” at the European Parliament in Brussels, attracting the attention of European Members of Parliament (EMP) as well as other international actors. The finding from this research has been widely presented at regional (European) meetings and conferences and received great interest and attention.
It has also provided significant support to the design and implementation of an impact monitoring system which was introduced in year two. As outlined above, this system has provided valuable examples of its relevance, and will form an important part of documenting impact of prevention efforts and service provision.
It has set up and managed an information sharing system, allowing exchange of experience, news and other relevant information between the regional team and the participating countries as well as between participating countries. This is considered by participating countries as valuable contribution to programme development.
Position Paper on Preventing and Responding to Trafficking of Children in Europe
Child Trafficking Response Programme in South East Europe Phase II: April 2005 – March 2008
CTRP External Evaluation: Final Report
Child Trafficking Response Programme in South East Europe Phase II, Final Report
Project Progress Report