A new legal initiative on the status of children under the care of the Republic of Albania, a draft legislation designed to reflect radical reformation through provision of decent assistance, material support and benefits to be granted to all minor children or persons in care, namely children of the martyrs of the nation, children of doctors and nurses, who have lost their lives after contracting Covid-19 infection while delivering care to patients at COVID-designated hospitals and institutions across the country; individuals who have lost their lives while protecting public properties or in attempts to save and protect the life of the individual as a result of an act of self-denial or patriotism; Albanian citizens who have lost their lives as a result of responsibly performing a public assignment or duty under state of emergency conditions or in event of natural disasters.

Under this legal initiative, the state takes children under special care and protection to easily cope with the consequences of the loss of a parent or legal guardian and for their social integration. 

Commenting on the latest government initiative, Prime Minister Edi Rama said:

I feel especially glad for the fact that at the last parliament session this year on the eve of the year-end holidays we introduce a series of important changes recently endorsed at this Assembly, as well as another incredibly important amendment we are about to endorse by vote in this Assembly today.

Starting from January, or next month, all mothers with three or more children currently benefiting assistance under the economic welfare scheme will now benefit double assistance. Likewise, economic assistance will also double for the women and girls, who are human trafficking and domestic violence victims, the mothers of children with disabilities, and orphaned children under the economic welfare scheme. Another category adds to this group of vulnerable social categories under the fresh legal initiative on the status of the children under the care of the Republic, an initiative reflecting a vision and embodying an ambition and materializing a continued approach pursued by this governing majority vis-à-vis those who feel more vulnerable as they really belong to the most vulnerable social categories.

With today’s vote, Parliament will define a new status for all children of the martyrs of the nation, doctors and nurses, who have lost their lives while on duty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the children of people who have lost their lives while attempting to protect public property or save and protect the lives of other individuals by committing self-denial and sacrificing acts or patriotism actions, and the Albanian citizens who have lost their lives while responsibly performing their assignments and public office duty under the state of emergency conditions or natural disasters.

Through this government initiative, which is about to be turned into law by the Albanian parliament today, the state takes all children of all these categories of parents under its special protection and care to help them to cope with life hardship after losing their parents or under a legal guardian as well as for their social integration. 

Children under age 18 are entitled to benefit the status of child under the care of the Republic” and the status provides the benefiting person with a special material and moral treatment up to the age of 25, if he or she attends higher education. Material benefits include monthly financial treatment calculated on the basis of the highest monthly salary of the deceased parent or legal guardian.

Full 100% financial assistance will be granted to any child under the care of the individuals, who have lost their lives.

A 70% financial assistance will be provided to any child, when under the care of the person who has lost life are only two children, who benefit the status of the child under the care of the Republic.

40% financial assistance for every child when under the care of the person who has lost life were four or more children, who are granted the status of child under the care of the Republic and 50% for three children.

This legal initiative represent an incredible leap forward compared to the current treatment provided to the orphaned children, parents or legal guardians who have lost their lives in the line of duty and represents an extremely clear message about the valuable constitution of this ruling majority and the fact that in a governance process, at every step we take as we boost the opportunities to do more for the people most in need, we will continue to increase our support for them.

It would have certainly been much better if we were to do much earlier what we are doing today or if we were to deliver today what we can afford to deliver in the future, but the bottom line is that everything depends on opportunities and on what we can afford and therefore the all-out effort to increase opportunities so to be able to increase the support of people not only those in need, but also those who need higher wages, those who need higher pensions, is an effort that continues and in the meantime is a effort which can never be replaced by good wishes, because they are not enough, but opportunities should be created first and it is through increasing the opportunities only that we can increase our support.

In addition to this support in the form of financial assistance for all the orphaned children of parents who have lost their lives in the line of duty and whose parents no one can bring them back, but today is the state that is in terms of material support is exactly as if it were a parent at the highest paying job – there are a number of other rights that are worth mentioning, from free health care, hospital, not only in public health institutions that is equal to all, but also when necessary, in non-public health care institutions, inside or outside the country. 

In the pre-university education system these children receive financial assistance according to the legal framework, providing scholarship or payments to pupils or students despite the fact that they receive a maximum monthly financial support from the state.

They will also be totally exempted from paying the annual tuition fees, according to the existing legal framework, when they gain the right to attend a degree program in higher education, in public higher education institutions, regardless of the respective category in terms of performance results.

Likewise, these children also benefit from personal assistance for free, based on their request upon completion of an education cycle, and they enjoy preferential support in terms of their employment upon graduation from higher education.

A person who is granted the status of child under the care of the Republic is also entitled to a number of other rights of a symbolic and moral nature and beyond these rights and beyond any special ability to benefit other income while exercising these rights, he continues to receive until adulthood or until he or she completes higher education in case he or she is a university graduate, financial treatment based on parental salary, at that stage that the parent’s salary was higher and not as an average. 

Being fully aware of the debt we owe to those who gave their lives by committing rare acts of patriotism, self-denial, heroism, integrity and who gave the extraordinary sense of the value of life, but also the value of devotion and sacrifice to protect the lives of others and to protect our society, this government offers today, through the power and this majority here in the hall, the hand of a very special protection and care, previously unknown in the history of this state, to all their children and, most importantly, I invite all MPs in this hall, both in majority and opposition, to unanimously back this law because it is in the honor of each of them as an MP and it is the obligation of each of them as a parent, as a son, sister or brother.

Thank you!