Trafficking in Human Beings in Southeastern Europe - Iom

Trafficking in Human Beingsin Southeastern EuropeAlbaniaAlbania1. OverviewOver the last 10 years, with the fall of communism and the problems surroundingthe consequent transition, Albania has emerged as a major player inthe trafficking of women and children. It has the dubious honour of being botha major country of origin and for transit of trafficked women for the morelucrative Western European sex markets, and to a lesser degree a destinationcountry for the domestic market in Albania.Prostitution in Albania is illegal, hidden, and normally run from motels, privateagencies, hotels and bars. Pimps or protectors, who are typically part of alarger network, usually manage the women and girls. Trafficking in childrenfor the purposes of begging and drug dealing is also a major problem, withorganised networks smuggling children to Greece and Italy. Some of thesechildren are inevitably sold on for the purposes of prostitution, though thereis little available information regarding the extent of this problem.There are three main categories of human beings trafficked to, from orthrough Albania: Albanian women and girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation;foreign women and girls for sexual exploitation; and Albanian children(boys and girls) for forced labour.1.1. Migration, prostitution and trafficking1.1.1. Albanian women - their situation, migration and trafficking toWestern EuropeIt is estimated that over the past 10 years 100,000 Albanian women and girlshave been trafficked to Western European and other Balkan countries. 138Many of them have been trafficked into prostitution through false promises ofmarriage or employment, coercion and sometimes kidnapping. The typicalprofile of a trafficked Albanian woman is a young unmarried woman taken toItaly by a family member, often a fiancé under the promise of marriage and/or employment. Victims typically range in age from 15 to 35 years, which isyounger than trafficked women of other nationalities, and some research indicatesthat up to 80 percent are girls under the age of 18. 139 Police and somelocal NGOs report some trafficking in girls aged between 12 and 14 years, andthe involvement of older women who have become vulnerable through socialand personal circumstances. The young age of some victims appears to be dueto a culture of early marriage, particularly in rural areas. It is also reportedthat up to 40 percent of Albanian prostitutes in Italy are minors. 140Trafficked women and girls come from all over Albania. However, in recenttimes they have increasingly been coming from rural areas, as the women incities and towns have become more aware and better informed about the realityof the situation. Furthermore, widespread poverty and unemployment inrural areas has driven people to emigrate for employment purposes, which isseen as more desirable and lucrative than internal migration. The migration ofyoung men from villages to cities and abroad for work has also influenced theyoung Albanian women’s desire to leave home, as there are fewer candidates138.National Strategy to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (draft), Council of Ministers,Tirana, November 2001. p. 12.139. Daniel Renton, “Child Trafficking in Albania”, Save the Children report, Tirana, 2000. p. 9.140.Ibid., p.24.125