Albania registered its 13th femicide of the year following the murder of a 23-year-old woman in Fier.
31-year-old Elton Metaj shot his ex-wife dead as she was having dinner at her parents’ home.
The man, from the village of Zhupan in Fier, had just been released from prison. He had been convicted of domestic violence and for holding his ex-wife and her family hostage for several hours. It took RENEA, the Albanian special forces, several hours to negotiate their release.
It’s not clear why he served only one year for opposing a police officer, possession of an illegal weapon, and domestic violence. The victim had already filed for a restraining order against him.
Opposition MP Albana Vokshi has called for increased efforts to ensure the safety of women throughout the country. She said the state and the court are responsible for the incident.
“A young mother was violently killed in her home because the government and justice are not doing their jobs. Considering how many women there are in government and parliament, Edi Rama is using it to hide the trust of the deteriorating security for women’s life and dignity.”
Rama recently appointed a mainly female cabinet, which was greatly received by some local and international media.
As Exit pointed out, however, this is in no way reflective of women’s place in Albanian society which requires a significant overhaul in attitudes and policy.
Over 53% of Albanian women will suffer at least one form of domestic violence at least once. The police managed to prosecute less than 13% of offenders in 2020, with the rate of conviction even lower. Albania is also one of the countries with the largest gender gap in areas including employment, education, and unpaid domestic work.
Several hundred Albanian women are also lost each year due to the prevalence of sex-selective abortion.
