OSCE Presence in Albania, Anti-discrimination Commissioner discuss ways to reduce discrimination in school

The OSCE Presence in Albania and the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination organized a meeting on 11 April 2011 to discuss how to reduce discrimination in school.

The Head of Presence, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, and the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination, Irma Baraku, took part in the meeting, which was organized as part of the Presence’s co-operation with the Commissioner to raise awareness about discrimination, especially among schoolchildren and teachers.

An exhibit of drawings made by 10-15 year-old schoolchildren on the theme discrimination was inaugurated on the sidelines of the meeting. The creators of five works selected by a jury received awards. The artworks will be published in a brochure that will be later distributed to elementary schools.

A psychologist presented an overview on how children perceive discrimination at the meeting and discussed what could be done to reduce discrimination further. Two anti-discrimination experts also delivered presentations on how the Law on Protection against Discrimination applies to schoolchildren.

The OSCE Presence in Albania works to raise the public’s awareness about discrimination issues. The Presence has assisted the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination since February 2010 when the Albanian Assembly passed the Law on Protection from Discrimination, notably by supporting the establishment of the Commissioner's website.