REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

PREFACE

            This is the Report on the Implementation of the Rights of Children in the Republic of Macedonia, which offers an overview of the situation regarding the implementation of the right to education for children with special education needs, as well as the inclusion of Roma children in pre-school child care and education institutions. This Report also reviews the situation in the areas of breastfeeding, juvenile justice, respect of the rights of children in the area of child participation, children who use drugs and child victims of trafficking and abduction.

            The basis for the monitoring of the status of children’s rights in the areas mentioned was the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the two Optional Protocols to the CRC and the Recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child addressed to the Republic of Macedonia in 2010.

            This Report covers the monitoring of the status of children’s rights during the year 2012. The Report was prepared by the informal Coalition of Non-Government Organizations for Children’s Rights, established and coordinated by the First Children’s Embassy in the World “Megjashi” . This Coalition numbers 14 organizations and one coalition of civic organizations, in addition to the First Children’s Embassy in the World “Megjashi” .

            The most important findings with regard to the implementation of and respect for the rights of children in the indicated areas are given in the Report in the form of significant results that we have arrived at through obtaining information, general insights and conclusions. The Report includes recommendations that we offer as a Coalition with the aim of improving the implementation of children’s rights through full implementation of the leading international document that defines children’s rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

            As a Coalition we would like to express our gratitude to all involved in the data collection effort as data providers or as participants in data provision. Their participation and sharing of information was a welcome contribution as it not only helped in the preparation of this Report, but also helps create a better world for children.         

            The development of this Report was supported by the UNICEF Country Office in Macedonia through the project “Capacity Building of the NGO Sector for Monitoring of Children’s Rights.“

INTRODUCTION

            This Report on the Implementation of the Rights of Children in the Republic of Macedonia is a result of a process undertaken to examine and analyze the extent to which rights are being exercised in everyday life. The process of development of the Report went on over the period February – June 2013, in accordance with the methodology developed by the Coalition of Non-Government Organizations for Children’s Rights, in collaboration with the UNICEF Country Office in Skopje.

            A number of activities were undertaken:

• assessment of relevant documentation and statistical data
• organizing and conducting interviews
• organizing and conducting focus group work with children and youth
• summarizing and analysis of data collected by organizations in the course of their routine activities
• implementing specific research and analysis of the results obtained from the research
• identifying examples of good practice

            The structure of the Report comprises an introductory section that contains the main findings from the research that was undertaken, a description of the methodology used in the data collection and development of the Report, as well as the principal challenges, insights and recommendations that came out of the monitoring.

            The Report further includes 8 chapters:

            Chapter One is about the right of children to participate, where the focus is mainly on youth participation in secondary school organizing and decision-making at the school level.

            Chapter Two is about education of children with special education needs, i.e. their inclusion in regular education in the Republic of Macedonia.

            Chapter Three gives an overview of the implementation of children’s rights to health; one part focuses on immunization of children and another part focuses on provision of information on prevention of HIV/AIDS to children. 

            Chapter Four is about protection measures for children who use drugs.

            Chapter Five deals with the topic of inclusion of Roma children in pre-school child care and education institutions.

The situation with child victims of trafficking and abduction is presented in Chapter Six, whereas the last two Chapters, the seventh and eighth, deal with issues related to juvenile justice and breastfeeding. 

            The principal findings from the process are presented in a section on main conclusions and recommendations that the Coalition of Non-Government Organizations for Children’s Rights hopes and expects would become a baseline for creating policies and strategies of the Republic of Macedonia for enhancing the respect for children’s rights, improving the welfare of children and crating a society in which children fully participate in issues of interest to them.

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