CRCA Albania asks the Parliament and the Government to seriously invest for community services to support the victims of domestic violence

Tirana, 1 October 2018 - CRCA and the Albanian Network “Act for Children were invited by the Albanian Parliament to attend the hearing session of the two sub-parliamentary commissions to discuss on the situation regarding the establishment and functioning of domestic violence protection mechanisms. Although the hearing was planned before, it could not neglect discussions on the latest case of violence against a young woman in Fushë-Krujë (Albania).

CRCA and “ACT FOR CHILDREN”, urged Sub-Parliamentary Commissions for Gender Equality and Domestic Violence and on Local Government, to open an urgent investigation into the accuses that an MP of the Albanian parliament was involved in the case and why the local referral mechanism on domestic violence failed to provide the protection required by law to the victim.

On behalf of the Albanian National Child Rights Network and CRCA Albania, Altin Hazizaj highlighted that: "Social and community services for children and women who have survived violence are almost non-existent. There is no investment for social services and almost all of them are offered only by civil society. Government and Municipalities should be legally obligated to finance community based social services!"

Asked by MPs attending the hearing session, CRCA Albania underlined major bottlenecks and shortages that the current system faces. For domestic violence cases, there are no standard protocols and procedures yet in place. The knowledge and training of staff in the municipalities on the current laws remains very low and their efforts uncoordinated, often leading to violations of the rights of women and girls. On the other hand, the basic compulsory social services that every municipality has to offer to victims of domestic violence do not exist. Gender stereotypes and prejudices on the role of girls and women in society influence the implementation of the law, especially by police but also social services;

The main request submitted to the Parliament was immediate attention from the Government and Municipalities to the state of social services for children and women victims of violence in Albania.

The Government and the municipalities, although are aware of the lack of services for the victims of domestic violence since years, still do not invest for new and better services. Consequently, existing services either are closed or are in a very difficult situation due to the lack of budget.