Tirana, 19 October 2021 – Albania receives a shocking ranking in terms of crime and its impact into the life of the country. The Global Crime Index ranks Albania as the 57th country in the worked with high criminality rates and a low ability to deal with it.
The Global Organized Crime Index is a global tool that measures the levels of organized crime and resilience to organized criminal activity. It includes in its ranking all UN member states, a total of 193 countries.
Regarding Albania, this index shows that – “Albania’s criminal ecosystem is dominated by overlapping criminal networks and family mafia-style actors. Mafia-style groups control the criminal markets for drugs, human trafficking, human smuggling and are reportedly moving into public procurement. They have positioned themselves as some of the most powerful criminal organizations in Europe. Albanian mafia-style groups differ from other major mafias (such as the Italian), in that they rarely identify themselves with names or symbols. ”
The Report goes on to write: they are highly violent but cooperate well with corrupt police and judiciary officials as well as with foreign actors, particularly the Sicilian mafia as well as Turkish organized crime groups. . “Albania has been one of the largest producers of cannabis in Europe for at least a decade. In recent years, however, cultivation has declined drastically, largely due to police intervention, the destruction of plantations, and state efforts to change the business model. Nevertheless, stockpiles remain and, for now, Albania continues to be a significant source of cannabis for the EU, with the drug reportedly transported by sea via Italy and by land through Greece and Montenegro. The criminal market for synthetic drugs in Albania is the smallest of the drug markets in the country. Albanian criminal networks are heavily involved in drug trafficking, especially the cannabis trade. They often pose as legal businesses to operate and different members are responsible for specific tasks within the organization, such as securing, transporting, distributing drugs, etc.”
Organized crime in Albania, as one of the poorest countries in Europe, as this index describes it, also leads to increased trafficking in human beings and exploitation.
On the other hand, the Global Index states that the government is showing a significant lack of commitment to protecting victims of organized crime. Although steps have been taken so far in the adoption of legislation on the treatment and protection of victims of crime, there are still major challenges in terms of their implementation. “There is lack of support programmes to ensure medical, psychological and social assistance to victims of crime, and only a limited number of public and private actors are involved in offering such services. Moreover, the country lacks an integrated victim support system, and victim and witness assassinations are not unheard of. Strong ties between mafia-style organizations and the Albanian legislature and law enforcement agencies often put witnesses in danger. As a result, many witnesses have been forced to skip court hearings and refrain from testifying. Legal aid schemes need to develop outreach mechanisms and access to protection services. Civil society organizations (CSOs) with donor support remain the primary providers of aid for most cases involving vulnerable groups, rather than by government agencies.” the authors of the Index said.
The Index recommends the creation and addition of prevention programs, while emphasizing that the engagement of civil society and the media in the fight against organized crime is limited. Many civil society organizations depend on external donors for financial support while public funding for CSOs is minimal and not yet legally regulated.
This situation is deeply reflected in the daily work of CRCA / ECPAT Albania, but also of all organizations that perform in the protection of victims in our country, including children and young people, who are also the most vulnerable to organised crime.
Attached you can find in the full version the entire study of the Global Organized Crime Index for Albania: https://ocindex.net/country/albania