Child Begging Persists Across Kosovo Amid Failing Social Protections
Children are still forced to beg on Kosovo streets despite legal bans, with investigations stalled and social services unable to provide lasting help.
In Kosovo’s urban intersections, children are seen cleaning windshields, begging for change and selling cigarettes, often under adult supervision that directs them and takes the money. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported 267 children begging as of September 2026, yet criminal investigations into organised-crime links were dismissed for insufficient proof. Former senior police officer Refki Morina urged coordinated checks between police, social-work centres and border agencies to trace the children’s origins, noting some repeatedly return to the streets.
Ombudsperson Bastri Kastrati called for a broader assessment of abuse by parents and caregivers, while former Ombudsperson Hilmi Jashari highlighted the gap between legal obligations and the limited services actually delivered by social-work centres. UNICEF data show the majority of street children belong to marginalized Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian groups, driven by poverty, and experts warn the situation heightens vulnerability to trafficking.
Why it matters
The ongoing exploitation of children on Kosovo’s streets reveals systemic failures in protection and law enforcement.
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