The case Children Embassy for All Children – Prilep
It is not easy to debate in Macedonia
The held campaign “We are prepared” for support of the Republic of Macedonia for membership in NATO, on 17th August, when at the Macedonia city square 150 children collected signatures from the citizens and gave certificates of honor to the Minister of Defense, Lazar Elenovski and the resident NATO ambassador in the country, Milivoj Butinar, organized by the Children Embassy for All Children in the World from Prilep, provoked critics and sharp reaction at the First Children’s Embassy in the World – “Medjashi”. “Medjashi” has deplored the campaign, pointing out that it is about children’s misuse in political goals, calling its patron, Minister Lazar Elenovski for resignation and calling for reaction both the Ombudsman and Public Prosecutor, asking for criminal accountability. In the attempt to convey the attitudes to the case by a few competent parties, we have received different reactions offered in this issue.
Medjashi’s attitude to children’s abuse
(from the First Children’s Embassy in the World Medjashi’s desk to our desk on 18th August 2007)
We sharply condemn the abuse of children for political issues in the yesterday’s celebration of the day of ARM (Army of Republic of Macedonia) where the children were involved in agitation and political campaign regarding Macedonia’s entry in NATO. We are stunned by the fact that the patron of this event was the Minister of Defense Lazar Elenovski.
Stepping out with the motto: ”Macedonia in NATO, we, the children their gold” tells enough about the patron-the Minister of Defense of Republic of Macedonia and the organizer of this event, the Children Embassy for All Children in the World. We think that the Ombudsman should react upon the abuse of children for political goals because it was done by a ministry and a non-governmental organization, which appear as supporters and organizers of the abuse of children for political goals. This is also shame for the Ministry, which spends governmental money from the citizens and supports a civil society organization which abuses children for political goals.
The Children’s Embassy Medjasi thinks that civil society organizations should help all the children whose parents died during the conflict in the year 2001, not to abuse the same children by involving them in the central celebrations of ARM, LAK or involve them in political campaigns of political parties for entry in NATO.
Children are most powerful if we pay them attention, if we give them love, education, if we do not abuse their labor, if we do not use them for economic or political goals. It shows a lack of power for the politicians when they abuse children for political goals and when they think that children are most powerful in supporting our country in the entrance in NATO, to support Macedonia in front of the international factor.
It is an abuse in political goals when children collect signatures and agitate for entrance in NATO for 5 hours on 40 degrees in front of the eyes of the Macedonian public and the Minister of Defense, isn’t it? This is pure manipulation of children in propaganda and for values strange for the children and it is equal or even worse than the abuse made for political meetings and campaigns by political parties. Above all, the political abuse was made by the organizer who was supposed to protect the children’s rights, in front of the eyes and in the name of the patron-Minister of Defense of Republic of Macedonia and the Macedonian public. The Minister of Defense should be prepared to protect children’s rights and not to confirm their abuse as a patron who, at the same time, knows that NATO is a military formation. The Children’s Embassy for All Children in the World from Prilep should be erased from the Registry of Citizens’ Associations of Republic of Macedonia because it breaks the children’s rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia and the Convention of Children’s Rights ratified by the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia in 1993.
Dragi Zmijanac, M.A., founder and executive manager of the First Children’s Embassy in the World – Medjashi, Republic of Macedonia
Damjanco Stojanovski, General Secretary of the Children Embassy for All Children in the World
The children represented public interest
“Medjashi” accuses of children’s abuse – what is your attitude?
Firstly, one who was not present at the event and does not know what actually happened, can not accuse. The Children Embassy for All Children in the World, as a serious organization with over 18.500 children members, that protects children’s rights in accordance with the UN Convention and Declaration for Children’s Rights, can not allow itself to improvise an event dedicated to the children of the late defenders, as our target group we work with, on the occasion of ARM Day, a day that provokes special feelings at these children. In their honor, the children educated in the session for Euro-Atlantic integration processes in our Children’s Educational Center “4th July” in Prilep, where we educate them why Macedonia strives for these integrations, with their logo for their friends decided and took part on this day in order to support their homeland for NATO integration.
The children had a wonderful event which made them excited and it was greeted by the domestic and diplomatic present guests. With the organization the children only promoted patriotism, presenting themselves as democratically prepared youth that can bear with the challenges of integration for better Macedonia. The children had 45-minutes participation and they moved on the hot sun and were not exposed to enormously high temperatures. As far as the collecting signatures for support of the Republic of Macedonia from the citizens passing by in Skopje is concerned, the children were alternately engaged for 15 minutes, normally with their pleasure. Within 10 volunteers who took care of 150 children, there were children’s parents and a medical person. We love children more than the others who have brought them to a situation to ask themselves how such well-intention can be wrongly presented, especially by “someone” who declares to protect their rights. It is normal for the small children’s honest hearts nowadays to despise “such” organizations and inappropriate media.
If you think there is not any abuse, what are your arguments for that?
Firstly, it should be known that the children represented neither a party nor a political interest of the government, but they represented a state interest we have educated them for in the abovementioned session in the Children’s Educational Center.
The fact that the children could present the gained knowledge from the session for Euro-Atlantic integration of the Children’s Educational Center “4th July” exactly on the ARM Day in front of the Minister, the general and some competent diplomats in the country, was a real pleasure for them. The parents themselves commented that the children from Prilep had been too excited to sleep before they had come to Skopje and there had been no feeling of guilt or discontent. The children’s happy faces when we were coming back from Skopje showed how important that day was for them, as they were coming back singing. In the end, “someone” accused them of “having been wrong”.
The Children Embassy for All Children in the World continues with the realization of its activities on the occasion of the jubilee, 10 years Children Embassy. Our work with the children is more intensive, as we have forthcoming many big and relevant projects for the state, all in children’s interest.
Who has abused the children to heal inferiority complex of “rivalry”?!
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (from the report July/August)
Public events and violations of democratic principles
“Pursuant to the Convention of the Right of the Child, which was accepted and ratified in the Republic of Macedonia in 1993, the Republic of Macedonia has the obligation to provide conditions for exercising and protection of the rights of the children. The country has this obligation also pursuant to other signed and ratified international documents on human rights and freedoms, especially those that treat the specific rights of the children. Such are the two facultative protocols of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, then, the conventions of the Council of Europe that stipulate certain segments of children’s rights, as well as the relevant political declarations. All of those represent a part of the interior legal system, in accordance with Article 118 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia. The Article 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child reads: ‘In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration’. Unfortunately, the Republic of Macedonia is far from ensuring total protection of the children’s rights on its territory” – states the report of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in the case about abuse of the children for political purposes on an outside temperature of above forty degrees, using them as participants in the celebration of the ARM Day and the aspiration of Macedonia to become a NATO member, just when all relevant institutions appealed that children, the elderly and persons with chronic diseases should avoid being outside their homes between ten and seventeen hours.
“Regretfully, in this case, instead of protecting the children, the state mercilessly abused the children to gain political points” – thought the members of the Committee.
The Helsinki Committee welcomes the prompt reaction of the First Children’s Embassy in the World – Medjashi and regrets that it was not the leverage for a more efficient joint effort of the NGO sector against the use of children for political objectives.
The Committee reminds the public prosecutor that he, in the capacity of a relevant state prosecution body, has the obligation ex officio to press criminal charges as follows:
- For committed criminal acts: Neglecting and mistreating a juvenile, according to Art. 201, par. 2 and Misuse of official position and authorization, according to Art. 353, par 1 of the Criminal Code, as well as violations of articles 3 and 36 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Letter to the editors of the Civic World
Debate yes, but with people we choose
Dear colleagues,
Your review in the latest issue of the Civic World No. 73 with the title Children! Children! Children! provoked us to reply to the dilemmas you have. Especially the dilemma “When are we allowed to and when are we not, to use children for different goals”.
We cannot accept your way of thinking about your dilemma when to, and when not to use children for different goals!!! This topic is really sensitive and we cannot understand the ones who abuse children. That is the reason why we addressed the national ombudsman, Mr. Idzet Memeti, to tell his opinion on the campaign “We are prepared” for Macedonia’s entry in NATO under the motto “Macedonia in NATO – we the children their gold”, organized by the Children Embassy for All Children in the World from Prilep, under patronage and financially supported by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Macedonia. You had an opportunity integrally to convey our sharp reaction and condemnation for abuse of children for political goals, our address to the national ombudsman with request, our reaction concerning the incomplete and false statements in terms of the space, the year of concluding the agreement on lease of space and organizations that use it by the Ministry of Defense, as well as the public appeal to the Public prosecutor, Mr. Ljupco Svrgovski, to require criminal accountability from Mr. Damjanco Stojanovski, general secretary of this civil society organization and Mr. Lazar Elenovski, minister of defense, as patron and financial supporter of this campaign.
Mr. Ljupco Svrgovski should tell his opinion if our requirements for criminal accountability are legitimate! The prime minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Nikola Gruevski, should give his opinion if our requirement for resignation of the Minister Elenovski is legitimate! Citizens and civil society organizations should give their opinion if our requirement for this organization, that is supposed to protect children’s rights, but it violates them, should be erased from the registry of organizations!
That is the reason I accept the invitation from the editors of the Civic World to debate on this topic in the next issue, but Mr. Lazar Elenovski, Minister of Defense, Mr. Idzet Memeti, national ombudsman, Mr. Ljupco Svrgovski, public prosecutor, to be involved with their statements. In that case several aspects of the issue will be covered. The participation of Mr. Saso Klekovski, Ms Natasa Damjanovska-Gaber and Mr. Damjan Stojanovski will also be of relevance. In my opinion, apart from my statement, you should also ask one from the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in the Republic of Macedonia, the House for Human Rights in the Republic of Macedonia, the Center for Human Rights and Conflict Management and other civil society organizations and activists that protect human and children’s rights.
In that case we will understand your worry about children’s abuse and the topic’s sensitiveness. We will understand the statement given by Mr. Lazar Elenovski for MTV on 25.08.2007 where he said: “If we make some bigger abuses, we are ready to take responsibility”.
Dragi Zmijanac, M.A.
Reply to the letter from Dragi Zmijanac by the editors of the Civic World
Civic World has a dedicated policy concerning children
Dear Mr. Zmijanac,
On Friday, 14th September 2007 I received your email as a letter to the editors of the Civic World. I am grateful for advice how to arrange the magazine Civic World, especially about the way of informing children and the case “Children Embassy Prilep”. We claim that the Civic World has conveyed your attitudes related to the case “Children Embassy Prilep” and that the Civic World has a dedicated policy concerning children.
The Civic World has published your attitudes on the case “Children Embassy Prilep” in the same issue where the comment by Gramoz Shabani was published and that you reacted on. Your attitudes were published in the text “Children are abused politically and their labor is used”, on page 5, in issue 73 from July/August 2007.
The Civic World does not support children’s abuse at all and it is dedicated to children’s rights and it shows it with the quantity and quality of published contents dedicated to children. The latest issue, besides the comment by Gramoz Shabani and the text about FCEW Medjashi (”Children are politically abused and their labor is used”), had a cover dedicated to children, an article “Sex scandal related to a refugee child” and a reportage on Mozaik, the model for multicultural and pre-school education under the title “Bilingual groups have confirmed the power of communication”.
The dedication by the Civic World can also be seen from the space aimed at activities carried out by your organization for the past three years, as follows:
- a cover page for issue No. 70 from April 2007;
- 18 texts;
- an advertisement (free of charge) and a distribution of cards (free of charge).
Out of the printed edition, at the moment there are two positive information about Medjashi on the website.
We cannot accept as constructive the critic that the Civic World with the intention to publish all concerned parties in the case “Children Embassy Prilep” supports children’s abuse. Our intention to hear all parties (which has not happened so far) is based on democratic principles and the basis of good journalism. The Civic World, regardless of the fact it agrees or not, wants to present the attitudes of parties involved in the case.
We are unpleasantly surprised that the Civic World’s attempt to present the attitudes of all involved parties, in spite of the many years good cooperation between the Civic World and Medjashi, has caused unfriendly vocabulary as “depersonalization of the enemy” – all editors of the Civic World are people with names (and emails), including the undersigned author of this comment. The Civic World will continue its dedicated policy regarding children and follow the activities of the involved organizations, including “Medjashi”.
Gonce Jakovleska, editor of the Civic World
The Civic World has not managed to receive the reaction by the president of the House for Human Rights as she was not in the country.
The Civic World has asked the public prosecutor for his attitude. We are going to publish his attitude when received.
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