Tirana, 5 November 2025 – After more than a decade of advocacy by CRCA-ECPAT Albania, national authorities announced that the National Sex Offenders Register has now been fully activated on the e-Albania platform, in accordance with Law No. 62/2022 “On the National Register of Persons Convicted for Sexual Crimes.” Starting today, every individual, institution, organisation, or business can verify their own data or that of others to determine whether a person is listed in the Register.
“This is an important development, although delayed by three years since the law was passed in 2022. We have followed every step of its establishment to ensure fast and effective access for citizens. Today, the Register is finally operational. This marks a major step forward in guaranteeing the safety of children, women, and citizens from sexual violence, giving institutions and the public a powerful tool to prevent sexual crimes and, above all, to protect victims,” said MP Erisa Xhixho, the author of the legal initiative in the Albanian Parliament.
CRCA-ECPAT Albania has advocated since 2013 for the creation of a National Sex Offenders Register. In 2019, CRCA publicly presented the first draft law for consultation with state institutions, civil society, and field experts. In 2021, the draft was submitted to Parliament by MP Erisa Xhixho, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Group Friends of Children. A year later, the law was adopted by the Parliament with near-unanimous support.
Under the law, the Register now includes data on all individuals convicted by final court decisions for sexual offences against children and adults since 1992. It allows public institutions, schools, kindergartens, religious and sports organisations, social care institutions, and both public and private employers to verify whether a person has been convicted, ensuring that those found guilty of sexual crimes cannot gain access to environments with children or other vulnerable persons.
“Today Albania has taken a major step toward justice and the protection of children from sexual crimes. The Register is the result of over twelve years of work, petitions, and advocacy by CRCA Albania to prevent sexual violence against children and young people. Now it is time for all institutions, organisations, sports clubs, churches and mosques, businesses, and above all families, to use this Register responsibly to prevent crime and ensure that no child ever again faces sexual violence, abuse, or exploitation,” said Altin Hazizaj, Director of CRCA-ECPAT Albania.
The establishment of the National Sex Offenders Register represents one of the most significant reforms for the protection of children and vulnerable persons from sexual crimes in Albania. In recent years, cases of sexual violence against children and young people have increased markedly, making this mechanism both timely and essential. The Register is a crucial tool that brings Albania closer to European standards for child protection and human rights.