Orphan association director abuses teen
30/09/2014 00:00
The Washington Agreement Must Be Reactivated! 06/01 19:04
Top Channel’s investigative program, “Fiks Fare”, broadcasted an
investigation which shows how funds are taken from associations that act
on behalf of orphans and then defraud them, or even demand sexual
favors, in exchange of the orphan status.
Fiks Fare’s investigation started after a tip brought for the activity of “Orphans in our Focus” association. There were many claims for abuses, the most serious of which was sexual exploitation of orphans by the Director of this association, Maksim Lico.
The investigation started with social networks, through a communication on Facebook between the Director of this association with a 17-year-old orphan from Saranda. During this conversation, the Director of the association harasses the boy sexually and promises help. To preserve the confidentiality of this conversation, the journalists of Fiks Fare contacted with Mr.Lico through Facebook. The collaborator of Fiks Fare presented himself to ‘Oprhans in Focus” as a 16-year-old orphan who was looking for help. Mr.Lico accepted his request immediately. Right after this he liked all pictures of the boy on Facebook.
The first meeting was held after some preliminary conversations on Facebook. The boy asks him for help, while the Director of the association requests some documents for the registration. After giving his phone number, the Director of the association appoints another meeting in the Albanian capital, at his main office.
The first meeting is held in an office, and Lico told the boy to prepare a series of documents, so that he can guarantee him free schooling in a private college, then shelter and the orphan status.
In this conversation, the Director invites the boy at his house if he needs a place to sleep.
The next meeting is held at the offices of this association, in presence of some workers. Lico asked the boy to fill some documents and one of the workers starts registering him as a 16-year-old orphan. According to him, this was the information that the boy had given during is conversations on Facebook.
A special report of the Ombudsman for 2013 says that Albania has around 31.000 orphans who are divided in two groups: social orphans, whose number increases each year due to social problems, mainly poverty; and biological orphans, children who have lost their parents or have been abandoned.
Only 400 of these orphans are treated in 9 government residential areas, and 360 others in 16 non-government centers.
Unfortunately, the real number of orphans in our country has always been unclear, because INSTAT doesn’t have a clear number. 31.000 comes as an assumption by calculating the economic assistance that they receive.
According to INSTAT, there are 700.000 individuals who need social assistance, and 184.000 of them are children, 31.000 of whom are orphans. More than 2/3rd of this age faces extreme conditions, but orphans remain the most affected. A very small number of them receive social assistance, which covers only 5% of their minimal needs. A very small part of them receives the orphan status.
The report says that Albania has 140 associations that treat poor categories and children in need, especially orphans and blood feud victims. Every association has a special status and becomes legal after they are registered in Court.
Top Channel
