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The US State Department released its 2022 Human Trafficking Report on Thursday, which included estimates for about 190 countries around the world.
The report divides countries into three levels. The first level includes countries and territories whose governments operate in full compliance with the required minimum standards. The second tier includes countries and territories whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to achieve this, and the third tier includes countries that do not fully comply with the minimum standards and do not they are making efforts for such a thing.
Albania and Kosovo continue to be ranked in the second level.
ALBANIA
The Government of Albania, the report states, does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so. It demonstrated overall increased efforts compared to the previous reporting period, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity, thus Albania remained in the second tier.
These efforts, it added, include investigating more cases and prosecuting and convicting many traffickers. The government identified more victims and increased resources for NGO-run shelters.
The government adopted the National Action Plan 2021-2023 and allocated resources to it, however, it did not meet minimum standards in several key areas. The involvement of officials in trafficking crimes remained a concern, and the government reported no prosecutions or convictions of officials, despite serious allegations, while it dismissed one police officer from his post.
The report notes that the government also lacks resources to address vulnerable groups and for long-term care, employment and other reintegration efforts for trafficking survivors.
Criminal Prosecution
The State Police, the report states, investigated 61 cases with 27 suspects (15 suspected of adult trafficking and 12 suspected of child trafficking), compared to 31 cases with 32 suspects in 2020.
The General Prosecutor’s Office prosecuted 60 cases with 19 defendants (six adult trafficking defendants and 13 child trafficking defendants), an increase compared to two cases with 12 defendants in 2020. Separately, SPAK prosecuted two new issues and continued two issues from previous years.
Courts, the report notes, convicted 11 traffickers, a significant increase compared to no convictions in 2020. All traffickers were convicted of child trafficking. The judges sentenced five traffickers to eight to 25 years in prison and two traffickers to two to eight years. Four traffickers were sentenced to probation.
Protection of victims
The report states that the Albanian government increased its efforts to protect the victims. The government and NGOs identified 154 potential victims and five victims, compared to 81 potential victims and five victims in 2020. Of this number, 61 were victims of sex trafficking, 65 victims of forced labor, and 33 victims of types of different uses; 99 were female and 60 male; 112 were children and 47 adults; and three were foreign victims, two from Romania and one from Serbia.
Trafficking profile
Similar to recent years, the report states that human traffickers exploit internal and foreign victims in Albania as well as abroad. They exploit Albanian women and children for sex trafficking and forced labor within the country, especially during the tourist season, making false promises such as marriage or job offers.
Traffickers usually force children to beg or perform other forms of forced labor, such as selling small items. They use Albanian children, mainly from the Roma communities and the Egyptian community from different countries of the Balkans, for seasonal work and forced begging. Traffickers use Albanian victims for sex trafficking in countries across Europe, especially in Kosovo, Greece, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Foreign victims from European countries, Gambia and the Philippines are used for sex trafficking and forced labor in Albania.
Albanian migrants seeking work in Western Europe are vulnerable to forced labor exploitation and forced criminality, particularly in the United Kingdom. Experts report that children with disabilities are increasingly vulnerable.
In this year’s report, Albania is called upon to work on the in-depth investigation, prosecution and punishment of traffickers, the preparation of the bearers of the justice system to deal with human trafficking and increasing efforts to prevent trafficking, protect victims and their reintegration.
Chuang
Similar to a year ago, the report states that the Kosovo government does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated an overall increased effort compared to the previous reporting period, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity, so it remained at level 2, the report said.
These efforts, it added, include prosecuting and convicting more traffickers and identifying more victims. The Office of the Chief State Prosecutor created local multidisciplinary teams to improve coordination on trafficking cases in three regions, and the government increased funding for NGO-run shelters.
The government organized a strong awareness campaign and coordinating bodies collected and prepared quarterly reports. However, the government fell short of minimum standards in several key areas. Judges continued to impose lenient sentences on traffickers, and the government did not approve the National Anti-Trafficking Strategy and Action Plan 2020-2024.
Law enforcement continued to classify forced begging of children by their parents as neglect or parental abuse rather than trafficking, and due to inadequate identification procedures for forced begging, authorities may have deported some victims unidentified trafficking.
Criminal prosecution
The report points out that the police, prosecutors and courts use different methods for counting cases of stalking and this has led to inconsistent statistics.
Police investigated 17 new cases with 43 suspects, compared to 62 new cases in 2020. Police also investigated seven more suspects for “use of sexual services by a trafficking victim,” compared to nine suspects in 2020. Authorities prosecuted 35 new cases with 60 defendants, compared to 20 new cases with 32 defendants in 2020.
Courts sentenced seven traffickers, compared to three in 2020. Judges continued to hand down sentences below the minimum limit of five years in prison. While one judge sentenced one trafficker to five years in prison, four traffickers were sentenced to three years, one was sentenced to two years probation and a fine of 300 euros.
The courts did not reduce the total number of cases involving trafficking cases and 70 cases remained open from previous years.
Victim protection and prevention
The government, the report said, increased efforts to protect victims. It identified 22 victims, compared to 17 in 2020. Of these, 19 were victims of sex trafficking and three of forced begging; 16 were girls, four women and two boys. One victim was from Albania.
Trafficking profile
As in previous years, the report states that human traffickers exploit local and foreign victims in Kosovo as well as abroad. Many victims of sex trafficking in Kosovo are girls, although traffickers also force women from Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and other European countries into sex trafficking.
Traffickers recruit women and girls with promises of marriage or employment as dancers and singers and force victims into sex trafficking in private homes and apartments, nightclubs and massage parlors. Children from Kosovo, Albania and other neighboring countries are forced to beg within the country. Traffickers subject Kosovo citizens to sex trafficking and forced labor throughout Europe. The report reiterates that marginalized Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities are vulnerable to forced begging and sex trafficking. The report also states that people from the LGBTQI + community, migrants, asylum seekers and refugees are also at risk from traffickers.
The report recommends that the government of Kosovo vigorously investigate, prosecute and punish traffickers, including cooperating officials, and sentence convicted traffickers to prison terms, in accordance with established penalties. Voice of America
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