Political Convictions Leading Cause of Discrimination at Work in Albania during 2019

The Albanian Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination (KMD) has found that discrimination at work due to one’s political convictions remained a siginificant concern for Albanians in 2019.

The annual KMD report reveals that out of 225 discrimination complaints reviewed in 2019, 57 (~25%) were cases of alleged discrimination on the basis of political views. The second most common complaints were those based on race and disability, with 20 cases for each.

80 complaints were directed against public institutions, usually coming as a result of allegedly unfair dismissals from work, based on political convictions, disability, or health conditions.

20 complaints of discrimination in the education system were also filed during 2019. They focused primarily on school registration fees being waived for communities in need, Roma children being segregated in certain middle schools, assistant teachers for children with special needs, lack of access to professional and specialized schools for disabled children, and bullying.