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GJIROKASTRA REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2005
Average Monthly Household Expenditures for Roma (US$) 28
140
120
100
With regard to living space parameters, 75% of Roma
live in one or two-room houses, averaging 6.04 family
members per household. An estimated 40% of these
homes are without potable water. Compounding this
is the fact that high levels of poverty are negatively
correlated to child welfare, such that the larger the
family size, the greater the probability of undernourishment.
Similarly, early marriages, which are the norm,
prostitution, and child trafficking, are ways in which
overwhelming poverty is sometimes dealt with. These
activities, however, inevitably contribute to deepening
Roma’s, particularly Roma women’s, socio-economic
problems. 29
Consequences of Poverty:
Human Trafficking
The problem of trafficking in Albania is severe and well
known. Poverty, migration, organized crime, porous
borders, lack of awareness on human rights, and the
close proximity of rich countries all contribute to the
trend. As human trafficking is a clandestine activity exact
figures on the number of trafficked human beings are
hard to determine. It is estimated that in the last decade
anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 Albanian women and
children have been trafficked to western countries.
Generally, women and girls are trafficked for the
purpose of sexual exploitation and children are trafficked
with the intention of forcing them into labour.
Women and girls living in rural areas often fall prey to
PAGE 32
80
60
40
20
0
Expenditure (US$)
28 Hermine De Soto, Ilir Gedeshi, Sabine Beddies, & Daniel Perez,
Roma and Evgjits in Albania: From Social Exclusion to Social
Inclusion or The Gold Coin Dilemma, Report I: Recommendations
and Policy Implications, World Bank, April 2004.
traffickers, as they are particularly vulnerable due to high
poverty and unemployment rates prevalent among rural
females. In search of a better life, they may be deceived
by false promises of marriage or work abroad. Children
whose families live in poverty are also at risk of
being trafficked since the family may see an income
supplementing opportunity in their child’s labour abroad.
As a result of high female unemployment and the fact
that poverty is rampant, it can be presumed that trafficking
takes place in the region. However, to what extent
the Gjirokastra region is affected by human trafficking
should be explored in the future. Efforts must be made
to address this issue and programmes developed based
on the four pillar approach – prevention, protection,
repatriation and reintegration.
Employment
Food
Clothing
Electricity, Water, Heat, Rent
Education and Culture
Transportation
Paying on Credit
Health Care/Medicines
Other
It is obvious that poverty and employment are inextricably
linked to one another. In Albania, the rate of
unemployment for those considered “poor” is approximately
twice as much as the rate of unemployment for
those considered “non-poor”. Similarly, the rate of
unemployment for those considered “extremely poor”,
is almost triple the rate of unemployment for those
considered “non-poor”. It is also important to make a
distinction between “unemployment” and “underemployment”.
Unemployment is common to urban areas,
as reflected in unemployment indices. Underemployment,
however, is a typically rural occurrence, as suggested
by the high number of farming house
129Roma and Evgjits in Albania: From Social Exclusion to Social
Inclusion or The Gold Coin Dilemma, Report I: Recommendations and
Policy Implications, World Bank, April 2004.