Almost 1000 Albanian victims of human trafficking were identified by the UK National Crime Agency in 2018, according to a new report.
The report identified 6,993 victims in total, an increase of 36% on the figures from the previous year. Victims were comprised of 130 different nationalities, but Albanian victims made up one of the highest demographics with a total of 947. This means that 13% of victims identified in the country were of Albanian nationality.
According to the report, the most common reason for exploitation included adults and minors for labour exploitation which includes criminal exploitation as well. Forced labour was an issue for both men and minors, as was the issue of sexual exploitation in women.
Patrick Burland, senior project officer at the International Organisation for Migration stated that the reasons behind the figures could be attributed to “limited financial, educational, employment, and healthcare services” as well as a lack of “realistic opportunities to improve standards of living in their countries”. He added that this leads people to make desperate decisions which result in them falling into the hands of human traffickers.
Another report, entitled “Between Two Fires” that was conducted by the IMO and the University of Bedfordshire will be presented to UK Parliament today. It contains real-life accounts of victims of trafficking from Albania, as well as other countries such as Vietnam and Nigeria.
One Albanian woman described how her family had abandoned her because she was pregnant and that shortly after, the father of her child abandoned her as well. She ended up with nowhere to live and no income, resulting in a situation where her vulnerability was exploited by traffickers.
Another woman, also from Albania, explains how her family had negotiated her marriage to another Albanian man. Shortly afterwards, he took her to Italy to “start a new life” but sold her into sexual slavery. After her eventual escape, she returned to Albania to find that her family have since disowned her due to the “shame” they think it brings upon them.
Dr. Patricia Hynes from the University of Bedfordshire, Principal Investigator for the study, explained that the title of the report, Between Two Fires, came from a direct quote from a young Albanian woman describing how she had actively resisted the situation of vulnerability she found herself in but then ended up in a much more difficult and exploitative situation.
The report recommends that protection is increased in the originating countries, operating support to women and families whilst challenging traditional attitudes about gender and violence against women and girls.
The US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, published in June 2018 stated that Albania is a “Tier 2” country and the Albanian government do not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. It was observed that changes are being made but that there was still significant work that needed to be done.
Then, in the recent Human Rights Report from the US State Department, Albania was criticised for a lack of enforcement of anti human trafficking laws, noting that only a small number of offenders were ever prosecuted or convicted. Other criticisms were levied against the lack of enforcement of laws designed to protect women and girls from violence and sexual assault.
— Alice Elizabeth Taylor
