Pledge by North Macedonia

Succeeded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 2 December 1993

Ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict on 12 January 2004

Ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children child prostitution and child pornography on 17 October 2003

Pledges

1. Based on the principle of the best interests of the child, with a view to prevention and early intervention, the policies of the Government and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy are aimed at abandoning the practice of placement of children in an institution and their further "institutionalization''. The Government is conducting an intensive process of deinstitutionalization, with the main commitment being to ensure that no child under the age of 18 is placed in an institution after 2020.
2. On the other hand, the National Strategy for Deinstitutionalization 2018-2027 "Timjanik" pays great attention to the development of community social services. When it comes to children, the focus is on prevention, i.e., identifying and supporting families at risk of leaving their children for any reason. Preparations are presently being made for the current residential institutions at the start to assume this role, which, through direct work and support for at-risk families, will need to enable these families to provide appropriate care for their children (by means of information, rights support, counseling and training, etc.).
3. Efforts are also being made to provide adequate support to families with children with disabilities, such as the introduction of a respite care at the expense of the state, which is expected to be launched in 2020.

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