Public Policy Paper: Recommendations for Integrating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) in the Law on Child Protection

The document aims to analyse the opportunities for greater integration of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in the Law on Child Protection, highlighting the challenges, shortcomings and the need for change. The recommendations given steer towards better and higher quality services for all children, especially those at social risk, and advance the entire child protection system, with benefits in both the social and economic domains.

Key Aspects of Future Amendments to the Law on Child Protection: The Law on Child Protection regulates the system and the organisation of child protection. Child protection is an organised activity based on children’s rights, as well as on parents’ obligations and rights to family planning and on the obligations of the state and local self-government units to implement a humane population policy. In this sense, the Law assumes the state’s obligation to care for children, so that parents, and especially mothers, can be relieved of their duties of care and nurture, and be able to self-actualise professionally and be productive.

At the same time, child protection is achieved by ensuring the conditions for and the quality of care and nurture that is in the best interests of the child and that fosters the physical, mental, emotional, moral and social development of children. For the purposes of this Law, a child is considered to be any person under 18 years of age, as well as persons with disabilities under the age of 26. In this context, care and services for children with disabilities, and equally so for gifted children, is something that needs to be promoted by all means. Moreover, the system should extend to also include children from rural areas, children living below the poverty threshold, as well as Roma children, whose enrolment in kindergartens and early childhood development centres is still very low.

Read the specific recommendations for improving the entire child protection system through the lens of RESI. The public policy document is available in Macedonian, Albanian, and English.