The Minister of Labor, Family and War Veterans’ Values, Andin Hoti, spoke today about the case of the abuse of a 5-year-old child in Lipjan by his parents.
At a press conference following the government meeting, he said that the family has been under the supervision of the Center for Social Work since 2013, reports KosovaPress.
According to him, since that time, the children have been removed from their parents several times, but were later returned following psychiatric evaluations of the parents.
Minister Hoti added that he is awaiting the final report on the case of the 5-year-old, after which appropriate measures will be taken.
“All social cases in Kosovo that involve the treatment of violence and abuse fall under the responsibility of municipalities, specifically the Centers for Social Work. The role of the Ministry is to draft social policies and oversee their implementation. In this regard, the Ministry has an inspection unit, which has urgently gone to investigate the case at the Center for Social Work in Lipjan. This unit has the mandate to investigate the case and recommend actions to the minister… The moment we receive the final report from the inspection unit, and if violations by the Center for Social Work are confirmed, I assure you that all legal measures within my authority will be taken, including revoking the licenses of those working at that center,” he said.
Presenting some parts of the preliminary report, he said that the children had been taken from their parents several times.
“However, based on the findings, that Center for Social Work is supposed to have six officials, but currently has only three. Therefore, I call on mayors to increase capacities in social work centers… The preliminary report, which I cannot fully disclose, explains that this family has been under the treatment of the Center for Social Work in Lipjan since 2013. Consequently, the children were removed several times but returned again after treatment and psychiatric evaluations. In 2023, the court returned the children to the family, and the inspection is now examining why they were returned and whether the conditions for these two parents were met,” Hoti added.
The Minister of Health, Arben Vitia, also spoke about the child’s health condition. He said the child is in stable condition but in a serious psycho-social state.
“From what I have seen, the child was in a difficult and serious condition, not only physically, with the injuries and health issues he had. He was extremely traumatized and had very limited communication, despite being five years old. His condition on the day of the visit was stable… Yesterday he underwent a procedure due to a severe condition in one of his feet; an intervention was performed. He initially came out of surgery intubated and was later stabilized. Today his condition is stable, he has started some verbal communication, and overall his condition is good… The psycho-social aspect shows that, unfortunately, he has been in a toxic, if not completely abusive environment,” he said.
Additionally, Minister Hoti stated that a department for war veterans’ values will be established within the ministry he leads.
“The institutional care for these categories will now be organized through a department that will be created within the ministry, a department for war veterans’ values, through an internal regulation. Based on its competencies, this office will coordinate activities for categories emerging from the war, issue official certificates, and provide administrative support for the relevant commissions. Currently, the registry or list of veterans is under a temporary court measure in Kosovo,” he declared.
