Tirana, 6 September 2019 – Civil Society Organizations’ Report on the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in Albania, Beijing +25, has brought to the fore the figures and facts on the situation in Albania regarding the respect and implementation of women’s rights, their empowerment and the achievement of gender equality. The report presented the opinion of a group of civil society organizations on the Albanian state’s implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as part of its 25th anniversary. Its preparation was based on information sent by the Albanian state for the same purpose, through the National Report on the Implementation of the Beijing + 25 Platform for Action, and examined in more detail certain parts of it, under each of the areas of concern, such as development. inclusive, poverty eradication, social protection and social care, freedom from violence, stigma and stereotypes, participation, accountability, etc.
The report was prepared by four member organizations of the Gender-Based Violence Monitoring Network: Association of Professional Women Professionals, Businessmen and Craftsmen (NACAF) Albanian Center for Population and Development (CRPD) Child Rights Centre Albania (CRCA) and the Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC).
Data from various studies and reports have brought about the reality that in Albania;
– 1 in 2 women or 52.9% of women aged 18-74 have experienced one or more of the five different types of violence in their lives (intimate partner violence, intimate partner violence, non-violence – partner, sexual harassment and / or persecution);
– 75.4% of women reported being victims of domestic violence, while 70.8% of women considered sexual violence against women to be a major problem;
– The Council of Europe warns that “the rate of violence and abuse against people with disabilities is significantly higher than the general population, and even higher among women with disabilities.
The detailed analysis that this report makes on the situation of women and girls in Albania, in addition to the shortcomings, come with a list of recommendations that civil society organizations have address to the responsible institutions. According to the report, “efforts by the state remain largely limited to addressing domestic violence cases and do not extend to addressing all forms of violence against women.”
Albania needs to significantly improve the protection of women in politics by establishing codes of conduct and positive guidelines on the role and participation of women in politics.
Changes to Albania’s Electoral Code before the 2008 elections created a new minimum gender quota of 30 percent. Of the 7 women elected in the 2005 Parliamentary elections, there were 39 parliamentary women in 2017, one of the highest numbers of women MPs since the fall of communism, while there are currently 36 women. But gender-based hate speech and verbal abuse of women in politics and parliament have been present. There have been no cases brought before the relevant courts or authorities, such as the Albanian Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) on verbal political violence against women politicians, as most of the allegations come from the male leaders of the main political parties. The Alliance of Women Parliamentarians could not seriously address such issues, either in Parliament or publicly, due to the lack of bipartisan support and protection of the political positions of their parties even by women MPs.
Organizations have, among other things, recommended to the Albanian Government the establishment of a National Coordinator for Gender Equality associated with a National Commission on Women’s and Girls’ Rights. high on respect for the rights of women and girls, supporting the role of CSOs.
On the isssue of media, Albania must take serious measures to support journalists in every aspect and their equal participation, while Parliament and the Government have a specific duty to guarantee their rights and protection. One report states: “Women represent the majority of journalists in Albania (51.7%), with an average age of 32.54 years; half of journalists were younger than 31 years and often hold a degree in journalism or a similar field of study (72.4 Two consecutive reports in 2016/17, from the Equality of Women in Decision Making Network, found that “Men dominate the Albanian media landscape.
However attacks on journalists have increased over the past two years, focusing on investigative ones. On the evening of August 29-30, 2018, the home of a prominent investigative journalist known for investigating government links to drug bosses and organized crime was covered in bullets while her children and family were asleep. Although it has been almost a year since the crime was reported, no one has been arrested. Police have failed to find any suspects in her case. As the main opposition party withdrew from Parliament in February this year, several protests were organized against the government, some of them violent. However, police failed to alert reporters, most of them women, to be prepared if tear gas was used against the protesters. When gas was used in the protests on more than one occasion, it was reported that some journalists were injured.
Social media in Albania is becoming a source of fast but also fake news. The portrayal of women varies across competing images, from the extremely sexualized to the strong leaders in the national and international political arena. Young women and girls have often complained about their internet security. A summary annual report from the National Center for Safe Internet in Albania found that more than 60 percent of complaints made on the online platform www.SIGURT.al were from girls and women, mainly complaining of hate speech and bullism in the Internet.
The NGOs in this report also include these areas in which it is recommended that Albania should significantly improve the protection of women in politics by establishing codes of conduct and positive guidelines on the role and participation of women in politics.
Albania should also strengthen the gender accountability of any elected public official and improve the record of senior politicians in respecting the rights of women and girls. In this regard, the Government should support the role of CSOs in defining gender equality indicators, drafting monitoring and evaluation reports, publishing results data for each municipality and a national index on the advancement of women and girls in the country. all of Albania, which can only improve the current situation.
For more information, contact:
Altin Hazizaj
Executive Director of CRCA / ECPAT Albania
E-mail: crca@crca.al