Photo Credit: USAID/Albania

Transnational Action against Child Trafficking (TACT)

Duration: June 2003 - June 2009 (closed)

Implementer: Terre des hommes

Partners: 

• Arsis 
• BKTF “All Together Against Child Trafficking”
• Legal Clinic for Minors 
• Amarodrom
• Romani Baxt

Donors: 

• USAID
• Austrian Embassy
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• The Oak Foundation
• Norwegian Embassy
• Hellenic Aid

Geographic Focus: Central and Southern Albania

Description:
TACT encompasses several innovative features aimed at producing a comprehensive and effective ground-level response to child trafficking. The project tracks the phenomenon at each of its stages and proposes concrete counter actions in the fields of prevention, protection, assisted voluntary return, reintegration, and coordination.  TACT III is the third phase of a 6-year effort by three NGOs: Terre des hommes (Tdh, Switzerland), Arsis (Greece) and “All Together against Child trafficking” (BKTF, Albania) to address child trafficking within Albania and between Albania and Greece. These NGOs have joined efforts with Amaro Drom and Romani Baxt, two local Roma NGOs, to increase the involvement of community stakeholders in curbing child exploitation and forced movement.

TACT III builds upon the results and impacts of TACT I and II—aiming to increase the role of Albanian duty bearers to establish and maintain mechanisms for child protection and sustain national and community child protection nets which are necessary to avoid a resurgence of large-scale child trafficking. To build sustainability of the project, TACT III is moving away from direct assistance towards a more sustainable, long-term approach including increased school registration, training teachers and local government officials to take ownership of program activities, and providing at risk families with alternate income opportunities.

Key accomplishments:

• Under the umbrella of the TACT III project, Terre des hommes has formalized partnerships with six NGOs to carry out prevention and protection activities. Activities being implemented include outreach to vulnerable communities, development of protection mechanisms for at-risk children and birth registration for children without civil status.
• Signed an agreement to provide subsidized small business loans to at-risk families with Partneri Shqiptar ne Microcredi (PSHM), a micro loan institution supported by USAID, and with the Regional Development Agency Network.
• Established five Child Protection Units around southern Albania in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the local municipality authorities including Elbasan, Fier, Pogradec, Korca and Gjirokaster. These units will consist of one social worker and one coordinator and will serve as the case management center for at-risk children and families.
  Signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Save the Children Albania to replicate the Child Protection Unit in the city of Kucove.
• Increased street outreach work in Tirana, Durres, Thessalonica, and Athens has allowed the project to expand their services to more than 550 trafficked children and at-risk families. 
• Published a report entitled “Transnational Protection of Children: the Case of Albania and Greece.” The publication outlines the framework of cooperation between Albania and Greece in fighting child trafficking and provides recommendations for strengthening the cooperation.