FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
DASH "slaps" the government: Corruption and cooperation of officials in trafficking remain serious concerns
Just days after the State Department's investment climate report, which highlighted corruption and political capture as the main obstacles to economic development, another important document from Washington once again puts the Albanian government under scrutiny. The annual Trafficking in Persons Report keeps Albania at the "Tier 2" level, emphasizing that our country does not meet the minimum standards for eliminating this phenomenon.
The document clearly states: “ The Government of Albania does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts in this direction. Compared to the previous reporting period, the Government has shown an overall increase in efforts; for this reason, Albania remained in Tier 2. ”
The report recognizes several steps forward, such as increasing the number of investigations and convictions of traffickers for the first time since 2021, increasing funding for state and NGO shelters, and providing legal aid to more victims. It also mentions the adoption and funding of the National Action Plan 2024-2025.
But despite these, the State Department notes that the Albanian government has failed to meet standards in several key areas. The report notes: “ Local police and district prosecutors lacked the experience and capacity to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases and often treated them as lesser offenses, such as ‘exploitation of prostitution.’ The government did not provide sufficient staff or financial resources for mobile victim identification units run by NGOs, even though they identify the majority of victims each year .”
One of the most serious allegations is that victims were punished for acts committed solely as a result of trafficking. The report states: “ Authorities inappropriately charged victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation with criminal charges for acts committed as a direct result of trafficking. Also, due to insufficient implementation of standard victim identification procedures, the government failed to take effective measures to prevent the wrongful criminalization of potential victims .”
Another major problem is the lack of long-term services for victims and the passivity of official structures: “ The government did not have the resources to provide long-term services for victims, and the national coordinator and the National Anti-Trafficking Office rarely convened coordination mechanisms for the effective implementation of victim identification and referral procedures .”
The most serious part of the report concerns corruption and impunity of government officials. The State Department notes: “ The government reported no investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees involved in human trafficking crimes; however, corruption and official complicity in trafficking remain serious concerns .”
This passage exposes Tirana's failure to bring to justice officials involved in such serious crimes, showing that corruption is not simply a problem of the investment climate, but also of security and human rights.
In priority recommendations, Washington urges Albania to seriously investigate and punish all trafficking cases, including corrupt officials, increase cooperation with shelters and NGOs, strengthen the treatment of victims with long-term services, and train judges, prosecutors, and police to approach cases with a victim-sensitive perspective.
So, this report, like the one on the investment climate, sends a clear message to Tirana: the problem is not the lack of laws, but the lack of political will to implement them, in the face of corruption and the narrow interests of power. / Pamphlet
E kane vene perpara Ramsin. S'po i pine uje dhe leket. Me sa duket kaq e pat dhe kjo pune, ngushellime!