OSCE Presence, Albanian NGO present reports on anti-trafficking

The OSCE Presence in Albania and the non-governmental organization the Albanian Centre for Legal Civil Initiatives presented on 3 March three reports related to the situation for victims of trafficking in Albania at an event organized in Tirana:

• An Albanian translation of Compensation for Trafficked and Exploited Persons in the OSCE Region, by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). It gives a comparative overview of access to justice for victims of trafficking in Albania and other OSCE participating States.
• A draft evaluation of the compliance of Albanian legislation with the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings – the first international human rights instrument to strike a better balance between the prosecution of the crime and the protection of the rights of its victims.
• A study by the Centre for Legal and Civil Initiatives on the implementation of the law and the performance of the justice authorities in protecting the rights of victims. It underscores the need for the Albanian justice system to continue working to meet international standards to ensure that the victims of crime – especially of violent crime – enjoy the right of compensation from either the perpetrator or the state.

Representatives from civil society, international organizations, the Ministries of Justice, Interior and Labour Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Serious Crimes Prosecutor’s Office, the Bar Association and the police attended the event.