Official
Journal
content discussing physical violence (17% of
children) or content discussing suicide (1 in 10
children). 1 in 5 children has been subjected to
denigrating and hate messages, which is also an
indicator of possible online bullying situations.
Besides, the study shows that children find it
difficult to distinguish the difficult situations
they experience and to ask for help: 1 in 5
children never told anyone about what upset
them, while 75% of children interviewed asked
their peers and not adults for help and support.
Over 20% of children interviewed accept all
friend requests on social networks, while 25%
of children say they have interacted online with
someone they don’t know, and 16% of them
have met in real life someone they only knew
online. Parents are aware of only 9% of the
abovementioned cases.
Children interviewed note they are under no
control or supervision from their parents when
watching videos online (78%), when using
social networks (58%), when using texting
apps (57%), or when using the computer or
telephone web camera (56%).
As the study notes, the uncontrolled use of
the internet by children is at a very high level.
Often this results in grave consequences. Lack
of parental information regarding the risks of
unsafe internet is also at high levels.
Even though some internet service providers
offer the technical possibility to apply parental
controls, they are not applied. Besides, a study
of the situation in 7 regions of the country,
using information from awareness-raising
campaigns with some 12,000 middle school
children, found that the majority of children
confirm that their parents do not have clear
information on the risks of unsafe internet use
by children.
Another study conducted in 2019 by
UNICEF Albania entitled “WebFactor”80 has
found
80 UNICEF Albania, 2019, WebFactor: Assessment
of the legal framework and institutional readiness to
address child sexual exploitation and abuse
Page|1490
Year 2021 - Issue 7
a series of legal and institutional gaps, which
hamper the efficient guarantee of child safety
online.
The study found that even though the
Albanian legislation is overall in line with
relevant international standards on child sexual
abuse, it is often fragmented and lacking very
important definitions related to child sexual
abuse, their engagement, and coercion to
participate in sexual and other improper acts.
The principle of protection from harmful and
illegal content online is hindered by two
factors: 1. The definition for harmful material
is very general and leaves much space for
individual judgment; and 2. The lack of clear
definitions for child exploitation in sexual acts
makes the identification of illegal acts difficult.
Another important finding is related to the
Albanian legislation regulating the operation of
internet service providers, which is unclear
concerning
charging
of
administrative
authorities the competencies to block or delete
specific materials. This does not allow these
authorities to clearly understand their role and
functions, and to have appropriate mechanisms
to exercise them. Clear legislation on the exact
administrative authorities’ competencies and
procedures is necessary for this field.
When considering criminal investigation and
prosecution for cases of online sexual abuse
with children, the study notes that neither the
police nor the prosecution is fully equipped
with the adequate infrastructure to effectively
investigate online child abuse cases. The
cybercrime investigation unit of the State
Police lacks the resources to undertake active
online surveillance, thus hampering their ability
to start ex officio and proactive investigations.
The failure of internet service providers to
quickly react to the requests of the prosecution,
and difficulties in identifying alleged
perpetrator IP addresses, gravely impact the
overall quality and efficiency of the
investigation, and
online in Albania
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