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FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7863
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 3288
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 5799
RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE 4531
RUEHPS/AMEMBASSY PRISTINA 3764
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1246
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1116
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 0169
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2442

UNCLAS TIRANA 000100 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PGI, G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM 
 
DEPARTMENT PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KTIP KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB PGOV
PREL, CASC, AL 
SUBJECT: NINTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT SUBMISSION FOR 
ALBANIA 
 
REF: 08 STATE 132759 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE TREAT ACCORDINGLY 
 
(SBU) Below is Post's submission for the 2008 Trafficking in Persons 
Report. Responses are keyed to reftel request. 
 
THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION 
--------------------------- 
 
¶A. In 2008 both the Government of Albania and civil society actors 
made significant strides in gathering, maintaining and analyzing 
data on trafficking in persons.  Both of these databases on 
identification of victims are considered reliable. 
 
The GOA has one dedicated database, maintained by the Ministry of 
Interior, with contributions from three different ministries all 
four NGO shelters, and the National Reception Center for the Victims 
of Human Trafficking (Linza).  Collectively, the above mentioned 
entities make up what is known as Albania's National Referral 
Mechanism (NRM).  The NRM was established to promote a victims 
centered approach, to ensure consistency in definitions of terms 
relating to trafficking and coordination among signatory 
organizations as well as to establish a consolidated data base. 
 
Made operational in 2008, the database records all victims of 
trafficking who have been identified by GOA NRM participants in 
Albania during the year, regardless of whether the victim has 
denounced his trafficker.  This is a major improvement over the 
GOA's identification process in previous years.  This database has 
identified 108 victims during the reporting period, a five-fold 
increase in identification by the GOA over last year.  Of these 108 
victims, 60 were trafficked for sexual exploitation, 2 were 
trafficked for forced begging and the remaining 46 were either male 
victims or foreigners identified by the GOA. 
 
The civil society database inputs data from all four NGO shelters 
for victims of trafficking and contains information on all victims 
of trafficking who have been referred to the shelters for social 
services, regardless of referring agency.  The civil society 
database does not include information from the government-run 
shelter, Linza, as it has elected not to participate in the civil 
society database.  The civil society database identified 98 victims 
during the reporting period. 
 
Neither database captures reliable information on child trafficking 
for forced labor.  A Swiss NGO, Terre des Hommes, maintains an 
independent database to track child trafficking figures.  This year 
it reported that it identified 96 new cases of Albanian child 
trafficking, mostly victims identified in Greece.  The recently 
established Child Protection Units within local municipalities have 
increased efforts to identify suspected child victims of 
trafficking, but this number is not yet reported to a central 
database.  The overall scope of the problem of trafficking is 
difficult to determine, partly due to lack of coordinated and 
reliable data. Terre des Hommes is not a signatory to Albania's NRM 
and has consistently declined to join.  As a result, their data has 
not been included in the GOA data base. 
 
¶B. Albania is a country of origin for sex trafficking, trafficking 
of children for forced begging, and labor trafficking.  Greece is 
the main destination country, but victims are also exploited in 
Italy, Macedonia, Kosovo, Spain, France, and the UK. 
 
Internal trafficking is a problem and is acknowledged by the 
government.  Information on internal trafficking is incomplete 
because law enforcement officials often classify these cases as 
exploitation for prostitution rather than trafficking.  Even so, in 
most circumstances internal trafficking victims are referred to 
social services at the government run Linza shelter. 
 
¶C. Victims were coerced physically and/or psychologically to cross 
borders to final destinations in private houses, brothels, or 
hotels.  Victims are most often recruited by someone they know, such 
as a relative, and are mainly transported by vehicle or on foot. 
Women are coerced to work as prostitutes, while children are sent to 
work primarily as beggars. 
 
¶D. Based on an extensive data analysis made possible by the 
government and civil society databases, there is a slight change in 
the understanding of who is most vulnerable to trafficking.  For sex 
trafficking, the profile of a typical victim continues to be women 
between the ages of 15 - 25, with moderate education levels, from 
families with social problems.  However the data show that residents 
of regions which have moderate levels of economic development are 
most at risk, not the poorest regions.  Additionally, in sex 
trafficking 90% of the identified victims come from the main ethnic 
"Albanian" groups.  In child trafficking, the profile of 
vulnerability changes; Roma and Egyptian children are most at risk, 
due to their extreme poverty. 
 
¶E. Typically, traffickers/exploiters are known or related to the 
victim.  Traffickers are usually independent and otherwise 
unemployed.  The influence of organized crime in trafficking has 
declined in recent years and criminal groups, when involved, 
generally performed a coordinating role.  Children were often 
trafficked by their families and/or sold while women most often were 
trafficked by persons known to them who offered false promises of 
marriage or other false romantic relationships.  Only 17% of the 
cases reported in 2008 were recruited through promises of false 
employment.  In most cases, parents or guardians are aware of the 
exploitation.  Post has no information to indicate that employment, 
travel, tourism agencies or marriage brokers are involved with 
trafficking efforts. 
 
SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶A. Yes, the government acknowledges trafficking is a problem in the 
country.  During the reporting period, both the Office of the 
National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator (ONAC) and the Prime Minister 
have become more supportive in acknowledging the issue of human 
trafficking.  At the initiative of the ONAC, Albania has adapted 
further legislation to comply with international TIP standards. 
However, implementation of this legislation by other Ministries 
remains problematic.  In general, a lack of cooperation from other 
Ministries, particularly the Ministries of Labor and Justice, to 
implement anti-trafficking efforts hampers the efforts of the ONAC 
in addressing TIP issues.  Occasional resistance also still occurs 
at the regional or municipal government level. 
 
¶B. The Ministry of Interior is the lead agency on anti-trafficking 
issues, with a National Coordinator for Anti-Trafficking who is one 
of two Deputy Ministers.  The Deputy Minister has a staff of five. 
Other agencies involved in anti-trafficking efforts include: the 
Ministries of Labor and Social Affairs; Foreign Affairs; Justice; 
Culture and Tourism; Education; Health; the General Prosecutor's 
Office; and the Office of the Prime Minister. 
 
¶C.  A developing democracy, Albania has limited resources to tackle 
a wide variety of pressing issues.  Funding and training for police 
and customs officers, government social workers, and diplomats is 
inadequate.  With the exception of the border police during 2008, 
high turnover for the civil service in all ministries and levels 
remains a serious barrier to ensuring that police officers, border 
officials and social workers are competent and well-trained. 
Furthermore, some government agencies tasked to address TIP have not 
taken responsibility for implementing their TIP role.  Certain 
government officials and offices continue to be unsupportive towards 
anti-trafficking efforts because they are either unaware of their 
responsibilities or are uninterested.  The government lacks the 
resources, and at times it seems the will, to aid and protect 
victims.  The majority of the work done to protect victims of 
trafficking is implemented through local NGOs and IOs.  Corruption 
is widespread and endemic at all levels and all sectors of Albanian 
society, and this is a major barrier to reducing human trafficking. 
¶D. The government monitors its anti-trafficking efforts through the 
Office of the National Coordinator.  This office is a clearinghouse 
of information on all anti-trafficking efforts, with special 
responsibility for victim protection and prevention.  The Office of 
the National Coordinator publishes annual public reports on the 
state of human trafficking each year.  The GOA also published in 
December 2008 its National Action Plan which outlines the efforts 
the government is taking.  The National Coordinator's office 
continued to participate in and publicly support the 
anti-trafficking activities of NGOs and international donors during 
the reporting period, although some organizations reported at times 
strained communications with this office and other agencies tasked 
with combating human trafficking. 
 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶A. Seven articles in the Criminal Code apply to trafficking in 
persons: 
 
- Article 110(a) prohibits trafficking in persons for the purposes 
of prostitution, forced labor, organ trafficking, or other forms of 
exploitation; prohibits organizing, managing, or financing 
trafficking in human beings; adds additional penalties for 
committing the offense repeatedly or engaging in serious 
mistreatment or injury to the victim; adds additional penalties 
where the victim dies and where the perpetrator is a government 
official; 
- Article 114 prohibits inducing or gaining from prostitution; 
- Article 114(a) prohibits aggravated exploitation of prostitution, 
such as employing minors, employing multiple prostitutes, and using 
deception, coercion, or accomplices; 
- Article 114(b) contains five paragraphs that directly parallel 
Article 110/a, but apply only to trafficking in women; 
- Article 128(b) contains five paragraphs that directly parallel 
Articles 110/a and 114/b, but apply only to trafficking in children. 
 
- Article 124 (b) criminalizes the physical and psychological 
ill-treatment of minors by the person who is obliged to care for 
him/her, including prohibiting child labor, begging, or providing 
income; and 
- Article 298 prohibits assistance for the sheltering, accompanying 
or transporting of persons illegally across the Albanian border or 
for the illegal entry of a person into another state. 
 
In 2007, Parliament amended the Criminal Code regarding child 
protection to fight internal trafficking.  These changes include 
amendments to Article 117 regarding the use of minors for 
pornography; Article 124 (b) for ill-treatment of minors; and 
Article 128 (b) for the sale of minors. 
 
Articles 110 (a), 114 (b), 124 (b), and 128 (b), as described above, 
prohibit labor trafficking, with the same penalty for all types of 
trafficking. 
 
In January 2008, Article 124 (b) was passed, which criminalizes 
forced begging of children by their parents or other persons who 
have custody of them. 
 
In February 2007, Article 298 was amended to criminalize the 
assistance of illegal border crossing for profit and the providing 
of means or assistance for illegal border crossing, as well as 
criminalizing assisting the illegal entry of someone into another 
country.  The amendment to the law is expected to make it easier to 
prosecute those who assist individuals who illegally enter other 
countries but have lawfully crossed the Albanian border. 
 
¶B. A 2004 law provides for civil asset forfeiture for those 
convicted of trafficking and requires that defendants must explain 
the source of their own or family's wealth.  The Serious Crimes 
Prosecution Office implements the civil asset forfeiture laws that 
allow for the freezing and confiscation of the proceeds of crime. 
The administration of the seized and confiscated assets is the 
responsibility of the Agency for Administration of Sequestered and 
Confiscated Assets (AASCA) within the Ministry of Finance.  During 
2008, AASCA made some significant structural and functional 
improvements regarding administration of assets, but to date no 
assets have been liquidated and distributed to victims or used for 
other governmental purposes. 
 
The penalty for trafficking in persons is five to 15 years in 
prison; for trafficking in women the penalty is seven to 15 years; 
for trafficking of minors it is seven to 15 years.  Aggravating 
circumstances, such as kidnapping or death, can increase the 
sentence to a maximum of life.  Fines for these offenses are as 
follows:  trafficking in persons, two to five million leke ($24,000 
to $60,000); trafficking in women: three to six million leke 
($36,000 to $72,000); trafficking in minors: four million to six 
million leke ($48,000 to $72,000).  A convicted government official 
or public servant faces a 25 percent increase in penalty. 
 
¶C. The penalties for labor trafficking are the same as for sex 
trafficking, and labor trafficking cases are prosecuted under the 
same articles. 
 
¶D.  The Criminal Code imposes penalties of three to ten years 
imprisonment for the rape of an adult woman; two to seven years 
imprisonment for adult homosexual rape; five to 15 years 
imprisonment for the rape of an adolescent age 14 - 18, and seven to 
15 years imprisonment for the rape of a child under the age 14. 
These penalties are generally lighter than those for trafficking. 
 
¶E. Since 2004, the Serious Crimes Court and Serious Crimes 
Prosecution Office have been tasked to handle TIP and organized 
crime cases.  The office includes a team of prosecutors and police 
who have exclusive jurisdiction over these cases.  In calendar year 
2008, the government prosecuted 13 cases of trafficking in women 
(Article 114 b), and 6 cases of trafficking in minors (Article 128 
b), however, three of these cases were eventually determined to not 
be related to trafficking.  The Prosecutor General's office reports 
the following convictions in 2008:  trafficking in persons (110 a) 0 
convictions; exploitation of prostitution with aggravating 
circumstances (114 a) 15 convictions; trafficking in women (114 b) 5 
convictions; trafficking in minors (128 b) 6 convictions. 
 
As noted above, the government also prosecutes labor traffickers, 
and some of these cases may be included in the figures above, but 
government statistics are not broken down in this manner. 
 
¶F. The government is responsible for providing training to police 
officers and state social workers on the identification and 
treatment of victims and possible victims of trafficking.  Albania's 
police academy curriculum, revamped in 2007 through funding from the 
USG's ICITAP program and PAMECA, includes six hours of training on 
anti-trafficking out of the 22-week basic course for new officers. 
Current police officers attend a basic 11-week in-service course 
which includes four hours of training on trafficking in persons. 
Both trainings include discussions of the main elements of 
transnational crime, the phases of the trafficking process, 
applicable articles of the Criminal Code, methods of securing 
evidence, and procedures for dealing with victims, but do not focus 
on the police's responsibility in implementing the NRM. 
 
Throughout 2008, the ONAC has intensified its efforts in providing 
training for officials working on anti-trafficking.  Comprehensive 
training has been provided to law enforcement officers and social 
service providers. For example, the School of Magistrates in October 
organized a training session with judges and prosecutors entitled 
 
"Compensation of Trafficking Victims."  Twenty judges and 
prosecutors participated in this GOA-OSCE organized course.  The 
School of Magistrates is also planning to organize five more similar 
sessions for judges and prosecutors through June 2009. 
 
In addition, approximately 20 female Anti-Trafficking Police 
Officers have been assigned to Anti-Trafficking Units in the 
Organized Crime Regional State Offices.  This number represents a 
two-fold increase in the female anti-trafficking cadre compared to 
one year ago.  Spot checks have indicated the presence of these 
officers at Kapshtica (Greek/Albanian border) and to a lesser 
extent, the international airport Rinas.  In practice, most female 
officers are still on call to report to crossing points. 
 
In order to supplement basic police training on anti-trafficking 
during 2008, approximately 100 Anti-Trafficking Police, Border and 
Migration Police and Community Police Officers received specialized 
training on the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and its victim 
identification interview instruction.  Training lesson plans, 
presentation materials and tests were developed under the advice and 
guidance of ICITAP and taught by a female Albanian State Police 
(ASP) officer.  The course included basic identification techniques 
for potential victims of trafficking contained within Albania's NRM. 
 A portion of this training included provisions related to the 
sensitive handling of victims.  These trainings occurred in April, 
May, June, and July.  Participants tested (under the advice and 
guidance of ICITAP) for retention of basic course material. 
 
¶G. The GOA does cooperate with other governments in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases.  However, both 
Post and the GOA have noted a significant problem in receiving 
responses from letters which request assistance from foreign 
governments.  In 2008, the General Prosecutors office reported 
sending eight such requests to various foreign governments, only 
three of which have been answered.  Foreign countries which have not 
cooperated with Albania in the investigation and prosecution of 
trafficking cases are Greece, Italy, France and the UK.  For 
example, one such request, in the form of a Letter Rogatory, was 
sent to the UK in June 2007 and remains unanswered, despite eight 
follow up inquiries in 2008 by the Albanian Minister of Interior, 
Albanian Ministry of Justice, U.S. Embassy in Tirana, U.S. Embassy 
in London, UK Embassy in Tirana and IOM.  Examples such as these 
make prosecutions of TIP cases even more difficult and send a 
message to the GOA that some Tier One countries do not treat TIP 
with a high priority. 
 
¶H.  According to the GOA, Albania has bilateral extradition treaties 
with Macedonia, Romania, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, 
Turkey, and the United States.  Albania honors these agreements with 
each by extraditing its own citizens, unless the subject may face 
the death penalty.  Albania is party to the European Convention on 
Extradition. 
 
In 2008, Albania received six requests for extradition for 
trafficking related offenses; all were approved in addition to 
another request from a previous year.  Persons charged with 
trafficking in other countries may be extradited.  There is no 
prohibition on the extradition of Albanian nationals, and they can 
be extradited for trafficking or other offenses. 
 
¶I.  In 2008 there was no official evidence to indicate direct 
government involvement or tolerance in trafficking in persons. 
However, two cases in which the Supreme Court overturned convictions 
of traffickers have raised questions as to the Court's commitment in 
upholding the law in general.  Post does not feel that these cases 
demonstrate a particular leniency toward traffickers, but rather 
reflect the pervasive corruption that plagues all sectors of society 
and make prosecuting any crime very difficult. 
 
¶J.  Not applicable. 
 
¶K.  Prostitution is illegal in Albania, and punishment ranges from a 
fine to a three-year prison sentence.  Brothel owners, pimps, and 
enforcers may also face criminal charges for exploitation of 
prostitution, and if convicted, are fined or imprisoned for up to 
five years.  The penalty increases to seven to 15 years for 
aggravated circumstances such as kidnapping or assault. 
 
¶L.  Albania currently has approximately 344 troops serving abroad in 
Afghanistan, Bosnia, and other locations.  No Albanian soldiers have 
been investigated, prosecuted, or convicted of facilitating any form 
of trafficking. 
 
¶M.  To date, sex tourism has not yet been identified as a major 
concern in Albania.  However, both civil society and the Government 
of Albania have been pro-active in instituting measures to prevent 
the phenomenon from occurring on an organized level in Albania. For 
example, the Ministry of Interior / Office of the National 
Anti-trafficking Coordinator (ONAC) has undertaken several projects 
to prevent child sex tourism including: signing a cooperative 
agreement with 24 tourism operators entitled "On the Promotion and 
Implementation of the Code of Conduct for prevention of the sexual 
exploitation of children in tourism" which will be monitored by the 
Ministry of Tourism; the ONAC has produced and distributed a 
television spot on combating child sex tourism which was broadcast 
on all major TV networks; and with the help of the OSCE and Council 
of Europe most border crossing points have been equipped with 
billboards containing an anti-trafficking message. 
 
During the reporting period, the Swiss NGO Terre des Hommes raised a 
suspicion that street children may be involved in forced 
prostitution.  During the preliminary investigation it appears that 
the sexual exploitation of children may be happening in isolated 
occurrences.  At the request of Post, this information was given to 
the Albanian police, which began a formal investigation into the 
possibility of an organized system of sexual exploitation of street 
children. No evidence has been found to date to support this 
suspicion.  In July 2008, a 20 year old Montenegrin citizen was 
charged under Article 100 of the Penal Code for "Sexual or 
homosexual intercourse with Minors".  The charge was brought forward 
by the young woman's father and is still under investigation. 
 
In 2006 at the "His Children" orphanage in Tirana, three British 
citizens, one of whom was the administrator of the center, were 
charged with sexually abusing minors. In 2008 the administrator of 
the center was convicted under article 100 of the Penal Code, 
"Sexual or homosexual intercourse with minors", and sentenced to 
serve 20 years in prison.  The two other British citizens were 
extradited from Great Britain. Their trial process is still ongoing. 
 Also on October 14, an American citizen was charged under Article 
300/1 of the Albanian Penal Code for "Failure to Report a Crime." 
These charges concern whether the personnel of the clinic that 
conducted the initial medical examinations of the children failed to 
report the evidence of sexual abuse to the proper authorities.  The 
American citizen is the titular director of the medical clinic 
involved.  The first hearing on this case is scheduled for February 
24, 2009. 
 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶A.  Once a person has been identified as a Victim of Trafficking (or 
presumed victim), the person is informed of the social services 
available to victims of trafficking and is offered protection 
regardless of whether he/she chooses to cooperate with law 
enforcement officials or not.  Victims are not obligated to accept 
any of the assistance options offered by the identifying body. 
 
However, in terms of longer term victim protection there are some 
gaps in existing practice.  Albania does have a witness protection 
law (Law No. 9205, dated 15.03.2004 "On the Protection of Witnesses 
and Collaborators of Justice"), but protection for witnesses can 
only be requested by the General Prosecutor's office and it has only 
done so once in a TIP case from 2004.  In 2008, for example, the 
General Prosecutor's Office did not request witness protection for 
any victims of trafficking. 
 
The government's ability to fund protection and assistance services 
offered by the shelters is severely limited.  However, it operates 
one victim care facility, NVRC, in the capital city of Tirana, as 
noted above. 
 
Fear of retribution from traffickers and their associates remains 
the main reason that victims refuse to testify, as those who do can 
be vulnerable from the time they make their statement until a trial 
begins.  There is also often a need for protection after a trial is 
completed. 
 
USAID project "Coordinated Action Against Human Trafficking".  These 
shelters include the Hearth (Vatra) in Vlora, Another Vision (Tjeter 
Vision) in Elbasan, Life and Hope Community Center (Qendra 
Komunitare Jete dhe Shprese) in Gjirokaster, and Different and Equal 
(Te Ndryshem dhe Barabardhe) in Tirana.  From these shelters, 
victims have access to a range of services for support and 
reintegration including:  medical care, psychological and counseling 
services, and education and job training, either on site, through 
the government or through private clinics and centers.  There is one 
licensed government run shelter for victims of trafficking, the 
Linza National Reception Center in Tirana.  The shelter houses both 
victims of trafficking and irregular foreign migrants identified 
within the Albanian territory.  The GOA provided approximately 
$262,000 in funding to Linza during 2008 an increase of 16 per cent 
over the previous year.  Three of the five shelters offer free, 
voluntary HIV/AIDS testing. 
 
The Government of Albania provided no funding to the four NGO 
shelters during the reporting period.  However, the GOA provides 
sporadic in-kind assistance to the NGO-managed shelters, such as the 
use of government buildings and land, access to health care, 
vocational training programs, and other in-kind assistance.  The 
National Coordinator and the experts of the Ministry of Labor, 
Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities are working on amending law 
no. 9355, date 10.03.2005 "On the social assistance and social 
services."  These changes and additions will create a clear 
allocation scheme of how the government will provide funding for 
those NGO-run shelters that provide assistance to victims of 
trafficking. 
 
There are no specialized care facilities specifically for child 
victims; however Another Vision does have separate residential 
facilities for child victims of trafficking.  Other residential 
facilities for children accept children at risk or suspected victims 
on an ad hoc basis.  The majority of these facilities are run by 
non-governmental organizations. 
 
¶D. Yes, the government assists foreign trafficking victims in the 
same way that it helps domestic victims while also providing 
temporary and/or permanent residency status.  Care and services are 
provided at the government-run shelter for women and children, the 
National Victims' Referral Center (NVRC) in Tirana.  In 2008, a law 
was passed entitled "On Foreigners" that provides a basis for 
granting temporary and/or permanent residency status.  The 
government also has in place legislation and procedures for asylum 
seekers, and in principle, victims of trafficking could apply for 
asylum. 
 
¶E. The Government does not provide longer term shelter or other 
resources for the reintegration of victims of trafficking. 
 
¶F. Throughout 2008, the GOA initiated National Referral Mechanism 
(NRM) meetings on an ad hoc basis which brought together government, 
civil society, and international observers to improve the 
functioning of the referral mechanism.  One of the key topics of 
these meetings was the establishment of a government-managed 
database to manage and track cases of victims that were identified 
and referred by all parties during the year. 
 
The four NGO shelters report that police rarely refer victims to 
them, preferring the government run Linza National Reception Center 
shelter.  The Linza shelter has refused to share its data on victims 
of trafficking with the NGOs, and accordingly the NGO database does 
not include all GOA figures. Instead, the Linza Shelter under the 
NRM Agreement provides data to the ONAC. 
 
Starting in the winter of 2008, the GOA began to officially 
recognize victims of trafficking as persons who meet Palermo 
Protocol criteria regardless of whether or not they provide a 
statement to authorities denouncing their trafficker. 
 
¶G.  The government, with information from NGOs, identified 108 
victims of trafficking for calendar year 2008, a significant 
increase from the previous year.  Of these, 17 were children, 77 
were women, 12 were men and two were Roma.  Identified victims who 
want social assistance are referred to one of the five shelters and 
transported to the shelter by the shelter's vehicles. 
 
¶H.  Under the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), law enforcement, 
immigration, and social services officials have received training in 
identifying trafficking victims.  However, in practice, law 
enforcement officials have a more sophisticated understanding of the 
identification process than their colleagues in other ministries. 
Prostitution is not legal in Albania. 
 
¶I.  The rights of victims are generally respected; victims are not 
detained, jailed, deported, fined, or criminalized. 
 
¶J. The government encourages victims to assist in the investigation 
and prosecution of traffickers.  However, victims often refuse to 
testify or change their testimony as a result of intimidation by 
traffickers.  The GOA has a Witness Protection Program, noted 
separately, which does work effectively to protect victims of 
organized crime, but it has only been used once for a trafficking 
victim since 2004.  In 2008, according to the government, 24 victims 
assisted in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers. 
Albanian law allows for civil lawsuits and there is no official 
impediment to a victim's filing such a suit.  However, victims 
generally do not initiate civil suits due to mistrust of the police 
and judiciary and the length of time required to complete a civil 
procedure.  If a victim is a material witness to a case against a 
former employer, the victim is permitted to obtain other employment 
or leave the country pending trial. 
 
¶K.  See above. In June 2008, in cooperation with IOM and the 
Albanian Diplomatic Academy, the MFA conducted a training session 
with seven consuls from Albanian missions abroad in Italy, Greece, 
and Great Britain, Germany, Canada, the United States, and Belgium. 
In 2008, the Albanian Consulate in Rome, in cooperation with IOM, 
assisted one female minor victim of trafficking with her 
documentation and paperwork. 
 
¶L.  See above B and C under Protection and Assistance to Victims. 
 
¶M.  The most active international organizations and/or NGOs who work 
with trafficking victims are the USAID-funded shelters listed in 
26.B.  Other key anti-trafficking actors are the International 
Organization for Migration, the Organization for Security 
Cooperation in Europe, the Swiss NGO "Terre des Hommes", (funded by 
USAID), International Center for Migration Policy Development 
(ICMPD), UNICEF, and CIES (an Italian NGO).  Cooperation with local 
authorities in implementing anti-trafficking efforts improved in 
¶2008. 
 
PREVENT (###) 
trafficking.  For example, the government has increased funding for 
institutions that p@ovide vocational training and gives additional 
(###)  breaks to businesses which employ people deemed lost at risk for 
trafficking. 
 
In cooperation with IOs, the government has conducted informative 
sessions with more than 50,000 students warning them of the dangers 
of trafficking.  The GOA also believes that the liberalization of 
visas with the EU will contribute to a decrease in external 
trafficking.  To that end, the GOA has opened a dialogue with the EU 
on this topic. 
 
The majority of prevention campaigns are conducted by international 
organizations, with cooperation from the Anti-trafficking Unit. For 
example, on National Anti-trafficking Day, October 18, the National 
Coordinator and the Anti-trafficking unit organized a public event 
under the motto: Trafficking is a road with no return. Say no to 
trafficking.   The event was widely broadcast on TV networks.   A 
spot featuring the message of the Anti-Trafficking National 
Coordinator on child sex tourism was broadcasted by the major TV 
networks in the country. 
The national toll free no. 0 800 1212 is open and running, and its 
spot is continuously broadcasted. 
With the help of the OSCE and Council of Europe, most border 
crossing points display stands and billboards that show 
anti-trafficking messages and the government has a campaign at 
border checkpoints highlighting criminality of sexual relations with 
minors. 
 
¶B.  Albania has a "National Register of Foreigners;" the Register is 
an official electronic document that holds detailed information on 
foreigners that have entered Albania. The Register contains 
information on: 
- Time of entry in the country; 
- Duration of stay; 
- Movements of the foreign in the country 
- Employment. 
 
Despite the fact that there is no official register on Albanian 
migrants, the GOA does maintain limited data on different types of 
Albanian field migrants.  Based on the conclusions of these studies, 
the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunity 
(MoLSAEO) is working on sensitizing the public on the importance of 
regular migration. 
 
The GOA is working on facilitating the process of migration for 
Albanian citizens, especially for those who want to study or work 
abroad.  On December 2nd, the MoLSAEO signed a cooperation agreement 
with Italy regarding employment of Albanian migrants in Italy.  In 
2009, the GOA expects to finalize a cooperation agreement with the 
Greek government. 
 
¶C. Yes, Albania has a State Committee on Anti-trafficking which sets 
out the anti-trafficking polices, a National Coordinator for 
Anti-trafficking, and a coordinating structure - the 
Anti-trafficking Unit. The National Coordinator's Office works in 
partnership with local organizations and international partners to 
operate the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the government's 
primary mechanism of coordination among stakeholders.  The NRM 
provides a structure for police officers (including border, and 
anti-trafficking police), social workers employed by the Ministry of 
Labor, and NGOs who have signed on to the mechanism to work as a 
team to identify and refer victims.  The goal of the NRM is to 
improve identification and referral processes.  Established in 2005, 
the NRM has been inconsistently and inadequately implemented.  By 
early 2008, however, coordination and communication between the 
NRM's partners had improved and the NRM was functioning more 
smoothly. 
 
The National Coordinator's Office manages the Regional Committees 
which are regional coordinating bodies that began in the summer of 
2006 and continued to meet during the reporting period.  These 
working groups are comprised of local police, local anti-trafficking 
units, the women's shelters, and other local NGOs to oversee the NRM 
and to coordinate anti-trafficking initiatives in the field in 
education, social services, police activity, employment, and public 
awareness campaigns.  Local actors have stated that the committees 
do not always include civil society members, and when cases are 
presented, the committee members have taken a slow and reactive 
response.  Most outside sources have commented that regional 
committee members seem uncertain of their role and thus are 
inefficient at dealing with cases brought to their attention. 
 
Coordination between local police entities and local NGOs improved 
by the end of the reporting period with the help of interaction from 
the Minister of Interior, Director General of Police, and the 
National Coordinator for Anti-trafficking. 
 
¶D.  Yes, in 2008 the government approved a new National Strategy and 
action plan on combating trafficking in persons, including a 
national strategy and action plan for the fight against child 
trafficking and the protection of child victims of trafficking.  The 
National Coordinator and the Anti-trafficking Unit managed a very 
long and extensive strategy drafting process. Throughout the 
drafting process, the Anti-Trafficking Unit organized and managed 
more than 25 meetings and seminars to discuss the plan. 
 
NGOs were actively involved throughout the process. NGOs gave 
substantial input to the action plan that sets out specific, 
measurable, and timely goals. The action-plan also gives the NGOs 
responsibility and accountability.  NGOs that run shelters and 
provide services to victims and have experience in the field are 
active players in the implementation of the activities. 
 
Recently, the National Coordinator held the first meeting of the 
Anti-trafficking Task Force.  The Task Force is a working group 
comprised of experts on specific areas related to anti-trafficking. 
Experts are representatives of government agencies, NGOs, and 
shelters. The working group will be responsible for the preparation 
of working plans. The working plan will be the agenda of activities 
that a specific institution will implement within a specific period 
of time; this agenda will have to be in accordance with the national 
action plan '08-'10. The members of the Task Force will continue to 
be responsible for submitting information and short reports on the 
actions their respective institution took with regard to 
anti-trafficking.  The role of the Local Anti-trafficking Committees 
(LATC) will be of great importance in reassuring that the local 
institutions have all the necessary resources to perform their tasks 
at their best.  The National Coordinator in cooperation with NGOs 
and international organizations has conducted and will continue to 
conduct training for the members of the LATCs.  In December 
trainings were conducted with the Committee of Elbasan and during 
January trainings with the Committee of Lezha and Vlora.  In the 
following months trainings will be conducted with the remaining 
Committees. 
 
¶E.  A spot featuring the message of the Anti-Trafficking National 
Coordinator on child sex tourism was broadcasted by the major TV 
networks in the country. The national toll free no. 0 800 1212 is 
open and running, and is continuously advertised.  With the help of 
the OSCE and Council of Europe most border crossing points display 
signs and billboards showing anti-trafficking messages. 
 
¶F. In 2007, the MoI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the 
Ministry of Tourism and OSCE "On the Promotion and Implementation of 
the Code of Conduct for prevention of the sexual exploitation of 
children in tourism."  As a result, 24 operators of tourist agencies 
and hotels signed a cooperation agreement on the implementation of 
the Code.  The Ministry of Tourism has initiated an 
inter-ministerial working group which will be responsible for 
monitoring the proper implementation of the Code of Conduct.  The 
group will be comprised of representatives from the Ministry of 
Interior, Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities 
and the Albanian Association of Tourism; the leading agency will be 
the Ministry of Tourism under the assistance of the OSCE Presence in 
Albania. 
 
¶G. Not applicable per reftel instructions. 
 
TIP Hero 
 
Post nominates Mrs. Vera Lesko, founder and Executive Director of 
the Hearth of Vlora Women (Vatra) shelter.  Mrs. Lesko was one of 
the first people in Albania to recognize the problem of trafficking 
in persons in 1996.  Over the last 12 years she has risked danger to 
herself and her family to protect victims of trafficking and prevent 
young women from falling prey to this crime. 
 
Vera Lesko is the founding director of The Hearth of Vlora Women 
(commonly referred to as "Vatra"), an organization based in southern 
Albania, that has pioneered anti-trafficking efforts in the country. 
The Hearth provides reintegration and protection services to 
returned victims of trafficking and also carries out awareness 
raising activities for at-risk communities in southern Albania. 
 
Vera first became involved in the anti-trafficking movement in 1996, 
when she was asked to undertake research on the growing problem of 
trafficking in persons.  She was shocked by the results which 
indicated that a large number of Albanian girls were being 
trafficked overseas for sexual exploitation, and many of them were 
being transported through Vlora to cross the Adriatic by speedboat 
into Italy.  The illegal activities of the traffickers went on under 
the noses of corrupt officials in the Vlora district.  In some 
instances there was evidence of official involvement in human 
trafficking.  When she saw the depth of the problem created by the 
criminal activity in Vlora, Vera Lesko was determined to work 
against the trafficking of girls and women into prostitution, 
despite the threats she and her family would have to face. 
 
In 1997, Vera founded The Hearth of Vlora Women, an organization 
that has pioneered anti-trafficking efforts in Albania, and in 1999 
they began offering prevention services through a social services 
center.  In 2001, The Hearth opened the first shelter in the country 
for trafficked Albanian women and girls.  The shelter provides 
secure accommodation and assistance to victims of trafficking.  It 
also offers such rehabilitation and reintegration services as legal 
and medical counseling, educational and vocational training, 
assistance in accessing employment, and family mediation services 
for returned victims. 
 
Vera has persevered with assisting victims of trafficking, despite 
numerous threats and beatings.  Early on, she was stopped on the 
street and told that her daughter would be kidnapped and trafficked 
if Vera did not stop her work.  Rather than giving in to the 
traffickers' demands, she sent her daughter to live with relatives 
in Italy, trading time spent with her child for the child's safety. 
She has been beaten several times, once just barely surviving.  Over 
the years, the windows of her home have been broken, and she has 
received many threatening letters and phone calls.  Since 2007, Vera 
has been battling breast cancer but has continued to direct the 
Hearth shelter.  None of the obstacles she has faced have deterred 
her commitment to protect women and combat the trafficking of human 
beings. 
 
Vera Lesko and The Hearth have advocated for many years for creating 
a solid system of assistance, support and protection measures for 
trafficking victims to ensure that they are able to find a way out 
of trafficking and given the opportunity to rebuild their lives in 
safety. 
 
Embassy Point of Contact:  Michael W. Gray, Political Officer, 
phone: 355-4-247-285 extension 3319, fax: 355-4-232-222.  Hours 
spent on this report as follows:  Ambassador: XX; DCM: XX; Polchief: 
2; Poloff, 10; USAID: XX; RSO: 1; PAS: .5; ICITAP: 2; RLA: 2; CONS: 
¶2. 
 
WITHERS