The government increased victim protection efforts. The government and NGOs identified 165 potential victims, compared with 110 potential victims in 2022. Of these 165 potential victims, traffickers exploited 80 in sex trafficking, 58 in labor trafficking, including 55 in forced begging and 27 in forced criminality; 48 were women, eight were men, 67 were girls, and 42 were boys; and four were foreign national victims. MIUs in nine regions, consisting of social workers from NGOs and police officers, continued to identify most of the victims, but the units’ sustainability remained uncertain because of a lack of resources; MIUs identified 115 potential victims (70 percent of total potential victims), compared with 75 potential victims (68 percent of total potential victims) in 2022. Police and other first responders identified 50 potential victims (26 in 2023). Experts reported police did not participate consistently in MIUs, despite signing an MOU that formalized their participation, and law enforcement rarely initiated investigations when civil society identified a potential victim. The government maintained a multidisciplinary NRM with SOPs for identifying and referring victims to services. However, observers continued to report border police lacked resources, interpreters, and knowledge to screen consistently or implement SOPs for migrants and asylum-seekers. As in previous years, ASP did not screen individuals in commercial sex for indicators of trafficking during law enforcement operations and investigations of commercial sex establishments, and the Labor Inspectorate lacked the training to identify forced labor victims. Law enforcement justified cases of potential domestic servitude and forced labor in forced marriages involving Romani and Balkan-Egyptian communities as traditional cultural practices and customs. The government updated the NRM and added additional members, including the State Inspectorate of Labor and Social Services, Ministry of Justice, Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets, and National Agency of Employment and Skills. The government also renewed the NRM’s “Responsible Authority” tasked with coordinating the implementation of the NRM. However, experts reported the government did not proactively coordinate or convene NRM meetings, which were inefficient with low attendance; the NRM met six times (once in 2022). Law enforcement and state social services conducted joint interviews for potential victims who voluntarily requested official victim status. While the law provided equal services and rights for potential and officially recognized victims, OSCE reported police lacked specialized knowledge, interview rooms, and staff to accurately conduct an assessment for official victim status. The government formally assessed one potential victim as an official victim in 2023 (two in 2022).
The government operated one specialized shelter and supported three specialized NGO-run shelters. The government allocated 22.7 million leks ($243,480) to NGO-run shelters to support staff salaries in 2023 and 2022. The government provided an additional 7.2 million leks ($77,230) for food support to NGO-run shelters in 2023 and 2022. The government allocated 24.1 million leks ($258,500) to the government-run shelter, compared with 20.1 million leks ($215,600) in 2022. The government also allocated one million leks ($10,730) to an NGO-run shelter to provide legal assistance and a municipal government allocated 1.4 million leks ($15,020) to the same NGO-run shelter for operational costs. The government approved a decision to increase funding for staff salaries at NGO-run shelters to 33.2 million leks ($356,110) for 2024. Despite the increased funding for staff salaries, NGO-run shelters continued to operate under financial constraints and relied on non-governmental sources for operating costs. Experts reported the bidding process for social programs with municipal governments was not transparent and municipal government rarely dispersed funds to shelters because officials did not consider support services for trafficking victims a priority. The government did not allocate any resources from a fund of seized criminal assets for victim support services in 2023 or 2022.
The four specialized shelters constituted the National Coalition of Anti-Trafficking Shelters (NCATS); victims who required services not available in one shelter were referred to another shelter in the coalition. NCATS and the government provided food, mental health counseling, legal assistance, health care, educational services, employment services, assistance to victims’ children, financial support, long-term accommodations, social activities, vocational training, and post-reintegration follow-up; NCATS and the government provided support to 328 victims (93 in 2022). NCATS maintained a total capacity to accommodate 71 victims, including 10 children. One NGO-run shelter provided specialized services for victims younger than the age of 18 and rented apartments for male victims, where they received assistance from NGOs. NGO-run shelters allowed adult victims to leave the shelter voluntarily; the state-run shelter required victims to receive permission from the shelter director for their security. Observers reported the shelters in the NCATS had professional staff and quality care despite funding limitations, and the government reported good cooperation between NCATS and government institutions. The government also provided general support through two centers for victims of violence, including trafficking victims, that offered psycho-social support, legal assistance, and family assistance. However, experts reported a lack of resources for long-term care, employment, and other reintegration efforts, particularly for child victims and victims with children. For example, municipal governments rarely provided housing for victims because of a long list of requirements, and service providers faced obstacles in renting short-term apartments for victims because of the preference of landlords to only sign long-term leases. The government and NGOs provided vocational training for 43 victims and National Employment Services offices prioritized jobseekers from vulnerable groups, including trafficking victims; 50 victims registered with the employment office for employment opportunities, 28 of which obtained work. The government also supported five victims to start small businesses and enrolled 14 victims into an economic assistance program that dispersed 9,900 leks ($100) per month. Foreign victims had access to the same services as Albanian victims; the law provided foreign victims a three-month “reflection period” with temporary residency status and authorization to work for up to two years. The government provided residency status to one foreign victim.
Due to inconsistent implementation of victim identification SOPs, authorities may have detained or deported some unidentified victims, including women in commercial sex, migrants, and asylum-seekers. The government reported five victims chose to participate in investigations and prosecutions, and it provided legal assistance, in cooperation with NGOs, to 88 victims. The government reported interviews and testimonies took place in the presence of a psychologist, and prosecutors separated victims and defendants during trials to prevent re-traumatization. District courts lacked equipment to allow remote testimony, but SPAK possessed equipment that allowed testimony via video conferences, though it did not record how often it was used. Victims who testified against traffickers had access to the witness protection program; no victims participated in the program in 2023. Experts reported some prosecutors did not respond to requests or fulfill their responsibilities to provide assistance to victims and witnesses. For example, prosecutors did not respond to a request to remove parental rights from a parent exploiting their child. Similarly, a lawyer representing a victim requested witness protection for the victim, but the judge postponed the decision twice after the prosecutor failed to appear in court. Victim assistance coordinators provided legal assistance and guided victims in accessing services; the government appointed victim assistance coordinators to all victims participating in prosecutions. The government maintained the Development Center for Criminal Justice, which staffed prosecutors and a judicial police officer responsible for child protection in criminal proceedings, and five child friendly interview rooms. The government signed cooperation agreements with higher education institutions to add to a list of professionals that provided pro bono legal assistance to victims; however, observers reported lawyers did not always have knowledge on victims’ rights, courts did not consistently use victim-centered techniques, and the government often did not provide victims with necessary legal documents. Victims could obtain restitution through criminal proceedings or compensation through civil suits. However, judges generally rejected restitution in criminal proceedings and civil suits required victims to submit new testimonies, potentially causing re-traumatization. In addition, civil courts dismissed or closed civil suits if criminal courts dropped the case or acquitted the defendant. Courts granted compensation to only two victims to date in 2010 and 2018 but did not disburse compensation to the victims – the case from 2018 remained under appeal.
from 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report – U.S. Department of State
2024 Trafficking in Persons Report – United States Department of State
