THE STATE OF EFFORTS IN ALBANIA TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS 2007-2008 An Overview of Government and Civil Society Polices and Programs Prepared by Mr. Arben Tabaku, CAAHT Research Coordinator, and Ms. Sarah Stephens, CAAHT Chief of Party with the support of Mr. Dolor Tozaj, Local Program Coordinator (Nov. 2005 to August 2008) Ms. Ines Xhelili, Social Services Program Specialist (Nov. 2006 to August 2008) and Local Program Coordinator (August 2008 to present) and CAAHT stakeholder organizations and offices DISCLAIMER The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND DEFINTITIONS ...........................................................................................iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................vi introduction .....................................................................................................................viii CHAPTER ONE: SITUATION OF TRAFFICKING OF HUMAN BEINGS IN ALBANIA ............1 Profile of Victims of Trafficking Assisted in Shelters ..................................................................................................3 Destination of Trafficking and Place of Exploitation ..............................................................................................19 Cooperation with law enforcement and prosecution .........................................................................................21 Comparing data from the CAAHT and ONAC databases ..................................................................................22 Data Discrepancy ..............................................................................................................................................................24 CHAPTER TWO: CENTRAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EFFORTS ............25 Office of the National Anti-trafficking Coordinator .............................................................................................25 Regional Committees in the Fight Against Trafficking in Human Beings ..........................................................31 Municipalities and Communes ......................................................................................................................................33 National Referral Mechanism and Responsible Authority ....................................................................................33 Ministry Of Labor, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunity .....................................................................................37 Ministry of Education and Science ...............................................................................................................................38 chapter three: ANTI-TRAFFICKING efforts OF reporting NGOS ...........................40 Overview of Anti-trafficking Activities of Reporting NGOs ..............................................................................40 Brief Description of NPO Anti-trafficking Projects ..............................................................................................41 International NGOs ......................................................................................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER FOUR: EFFORTS OF THE USAID CAAHT PROGRAM ........................................49 Supporting the Anti-trafficking Community of Albania ........................................................................................49 CAAHT Grantees – Phase IV .......................................................................................................................................51 chapTer five: efforts OF intergovernmental ORGANIZation and INTERNATIONAL donors ............................................................58 Intergovernmental Organizations ...............................................................................................................................59 Donor Governments ......................................................................................................................................................61 International Foundations ..............................................................................................................................................64 Chapter SIX: CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................65 appendix A: National REFERRAL MECHANISM AGREEMENT ...............................69 APPENDIX B: resolving DOUBLE Reporting OF CASES .......................................74 APPENDIX C: REFERRALS AMONG Service Providers & BETWEEN Actors ......76 APPENDIX D: ONAC Database ON VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING ..................................82 APPENDIX E: CAAHT Database ON VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING ...............................85 APPENDIX F: LIST OF ORGANIZations Contacted BY CAAHT ...........................92 THE ALBANIAN INITIATIVE: COORDINATED ACTION AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING i The State of Efforts in Albania to Combat Trafficking of Persons 2007-2008 ii UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS ASP Albanian State Police BCP Border Crossing Point CAAHT The Albanian Initiative: Coordinated Action Against Human Trafficking, USAID COOPI Italian Development Cooperation Office CoP CAAHT Program Chief of Party GIS Geographic Information System CPU Child Protection Unit ICITAP International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program, US Department of Justice ICMPD International Center for Migration Policy Development ILO-IPEC International Labor Organization - International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor IOM International Organization for Migration LPC CAAHT staff Local Program Coordinator LGPA Albania Local Governance Program, USAID M&E Monitoring and evaluation MES Ministry of Education & Science MOLSAEO Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities MoU Memorandum of Understanding NAP National Action Plan NMS Naval Maritime Station NPF Help for Children Foundation/Fondacioni “Ndihme per Femijet” NPO Not for Profit Organization NRC MOLSAEO’s National Reception Center for Victims of Trafficking NRM National Referral Mechanism ONAC Office of the National Anti-trafficking Coordinator, Ministry of the Interior OPDAT Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training, US Department of Justice PAMECA Police Assistance Mission of the European Community to Albania RA Responsible Authority RC Regional Anti-Trafficking Committee SIDA Swedish International Development Agency SOG Special Operative Group SSPS CAAHT staff Social Service Program Specialist TIMS Total Information Management System - an integrated database for the police in Albania. TWT Technical Working Table UNDP United Nations Development Program UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women USAID United States Agency for International Development VoT Victim of trafficking THE ALBANIAN INITIATIVE: COORDINATED ACTION AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING iii The State of Efforts in Albania to Combat Trafficking of Persons 2007-2008 Kanun The Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit (The Code of Lekë Dukagjini) is a set of laws developed by Lekë Dukagjini and used mostly in northern Albania and Kosovo from the 15th century until the 20th century. It has experienced a resurgence in particularly the rural communities of the North since the fall of the communist regime in the early 1990s. It is a set of customary laws passed down through the generations, which was codified and written down in the 19th century by Shtjefën Gjeçov. Although Kanuni is attributed to the Albanian prince Lekë Dukagjini, the rules evolved over time as a way to bring laws and rule to these lands. The code is divided into several sections: Church, Family, Marriage, House, Livestock and Property, Work, Transfer of Property, Spoken Word, Honor, Damages, Law Regarding Crimes, Judicial Law, and Exemptions and Exceptions. The current Albanian Penal Code does not contain any provisions from the Kanun that deal with blood feuds, and no acknowledgment of this code is made in the contemporary Albanian legal system.1 Qarku / Qarqe Qarku designates governmental administrative units in two ways. It is the term for the Regional Council of municipality and commune mayors/ leaders of the Qarku region and it also designates the geographic boundary of that administrative unit. Qarqe is the plural of Qarku. There are 12 Qarqe in Albania: Shkodra, Kukes, Lezhe, Diber, Durres, Tirana, Elbasan, Korça, Fier, Berat, Vlora and Gjirokastra. Prefect The Qarqe are administered on behalf of the central government by 12 Prefects, appointed by the Prime Minister. DEFINITIONS FOR Categories OF Shelter BENEFICIARIES2 Victim of Trafficking - an adult or child who has been recruited, transported, transferred harbored or received by means of threat, use of force, or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation. This may occur within a single national boundary or across international borders. Note Until recently, many government authorities in the country restricted their definition of victim of trafficking to those who are not only identified by a qualified social worker and/or