Regional Conference - The Ministries of Justice in Albania and Kosovo are Committed to Further Strengthening the Child Protection System in Conflict with the Law.

The Regional Conference "Protection of Children in Conflict with the Law" in Albania and Kosovo, was held in Tirana, on 15–16 December 2021. During the conference the Ministries of Justice of the two countries expressed their further commitment to improve inter-institutional coordination and support, in any way, a child facing conflict with the law.

On the first day of the two-day conference, institutional work in the field of protection of children in conflict with the law in Albania and Kosovo was presented. The presentations focused on the implementation of restorative approaches provided by the Juvenile Criminal Justice Code, and the division of good practices of interdisciplinary management.

Both countries have an improved legal framework with new approaches to the concept of treating children in conflict with the law, aiming to ensure, in the first place, the principles of international law. Since 2018, Albania and Kosovo have adopted the Juvenile Criminal Justice Code in accordance with the European Union framework. However, these are only the first steps in child friendly justice. More work is required for all legally provided structures to function and for the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Code for every child victim, witness or those who have committed a criminal offense. This Regional Conference addresses the need for greater efforts by both governments to:

• promote preventing the phenomenon of children in conflict with the law and recidivism;
• Strengthen the capacities of professionals working directly with children in conflict with the law to apply restorative and mediation approaches;
• Increase attention to the provision of data and evidence for the phenomenon in question;
• Diversify reintegration services for juveniles and young people in conflict with the law, such as employment opportunities, vocational training or recreational activities.

Over the last four years, Terre des hommes in Albania and Kosovo, in partnership with Defense for Children Netherlands, in response to the two countries' need to improve the implementation of children's rights in the protection and justice systems, supported the development of the of law by:

• Introducing comprehensive policies, legal provisions and working protocols towards the protection of children's rights and the dignified treatment of minors in conflict with the law;
• Strengthening the capacities of more than 350 professionals working with children in conflict with the law and/or at risk of involvement in criminal behavior, in order to support them in dealing with the criminal system, and create opportunities for the correction of behavior and reintegration into society;
• Improving bilateral relations between government institutions in the Netherlands, Albania and Kosovo.