New USAID Anti-Trafficking Report Announced

New USAID Anti-Trafficking Report Announced

Tirana, January 22, 2009     In a press conference attended by U.S. Ambassador John L. Withers, II and Deputy Minister of Interior Iva Zajmi, USAID’s anti-trafficking program announced the findings of its fourth annual report on the State of Efforts in Albania to Combat Trafficking of Persons. The report offers an overview and analysis of anti-trafficking policies and programs in Albania related particularly to social services and education.  In particular, this year’s report draws on the data and experience of the nationwide network of government and civil society organizations that work with USAID’s program.

At the press conference, Ambassador Withers noted the importance of both government and civil society efforts in anti-trafficking. 

“By sharing data, and comparing analysis and conclusions, both civil society and government reports and analysis acquire greater legitimacy.  This consistency of information presented to the public about trafficking in persons inspires a greater public trust in information that is presented on the issue,”  he said.    

Deputy Minister Zajmi thanked the Ambassador for the valuable and consistent support that the Embassy of the United States has given to the anti-trafficking efforts of the Albanian government. According to Zajmi, the report presents “a very good analysis of the trafficking trends as well as a good presentation of the victim’s profile and the work done by the government and non-government structures following the appropriate responsibilities and obligations.”

The report contains an analysis of case data from victims of trafficking collected from Albania’s National Anti-trafficking Shelter Coalition, which challenge a number of commonly held assumptions about the causes of vulnerability to trafficking.  Key findings include:

• Most victims of trafficking were recruited in their community of origin and by someone they knew personally.
• Most victims of trafficking were recruited from the more urban areas of the country, and in the “moderately economically distressed” qarqe.
• Over half of the victims of trafficking assisted in the shelters had completed compulsory education.
• Over 90% of the victims of trafficking in the shelters come from the general Albanian population; only 9% were from the Roma and Balkan Egyptian minority communities.

USAID's State of Efforts in Albania to Combat Trafficking of Persons [PDF, 3.83 MB]

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USAID’s CAAHT program aims to combat the trafficking of women and children by reaching Albania society through activities aimed at national, district, and local community levels. For further information about the CAAHT report on the State of Efforts in Albania to Combat Trafficking of Persons 2007-2008 and the CAAHT program, please call Ms. Ines Xhelili, CAAHT Local Program Coordinator at 068 206 0635 or visit the CAAHT web site: www.caaht.com or the USAID Albania website: http://albania.usaid.gov