The conference of the Parliamentary Network “Women free from Violence” is taking place for the first time in Tirana, as a co-organization of the Assembly of Albania and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The opening ceremony was held this evening at the Palace of Brigades, with the presence of the Speaker of the Assembly of Albania Lindita Nikolla, Prime Minister Edi Rama, the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Despina Chatzivassiliou, the General Rapporteur on violence against women in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Etilda Gjonaj, as well as MPs and other guests.

In her speech, the General Rapporteur on violence against women in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Etilda Gjonaj said:

Dear Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, dear Despina,

I would like to begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude for your presence today and for your valuable messages.

Also, I want to express my special thanks for co-organizing and holding for the first time in Tirana, an activity of the Parliamentary Network “Women Free from Violence”.

Your presence, together with the entire Assembly team, reflects the important priority that women’s rights carry on the human rights agenda of the Council of Europe.

All of us, thank you for the continuous support you have given to Albania and our causes in the Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Leading the Network as General Rapporteur on Violence against Women over the past year has been a privilege for me, but at the same time a great responsibility.

I am hopeful that next year our joint efforts will continue to advance the women’s agenda at a government priority level for all 46 member states.

Dear colleagues, deputies from all member countries of the Parliamentary Assembly and executive staff of the Council of Europe,

Welcome to Tirana!

Although it may not be Paris or Strasbourg, where meetings are usually held, Tirana stands out for its hospitality and you will see for yourself for the respect towards its friends.

In this busy period with the mid-term European Parliament elections, I sincerely thank you for giving priority to our common cause of the fight against violence against women, in all its forms.

I would like to welcome all the guests to this reception, honorable ministers, honorable colleagues from the Parliament of Albania, representatives of organizations for the protection of women’s rights, the diplomatic corps, journalists and actors of the justice system present today and I want to address the audience who are united with our values ​​and our commitment to stop violence against women and most importantly moving forward in quality and non-discrimination.

Women’s rights are human rights!

And we have a responsibility to guarantee social justice for all women exposed to all forms of violence, including online and psychological violence.

As technology advances, new threats pose significant risks to women’s empowerment and in some cases, unfortunately, to their lives.

Women in politics and the media themselves are not immune to online violence and hate speech!

We have achieved a lot so far, but there are more issues that require immediate attention and addressing through legal and institutional measures at the national and international level.

Also, I express my gratitude to the Speaker of the Assembly, Mrs. Nikolla, who has been an essential support, not only in the co-organization of this activity, but also in the advancement of the entire agenda, which we undertook together for women’s rights.

Last but not least, I have the honor to introduce an honored guest.

A leader whose commitment to this cause is reflected in concrete actions, whose support has been crucial to our joint efforts…

Prime Minister Rama has played a great role in the empowerment of women, especially by bringing women from different professional backgrounds into politics, as in my case, and by becoming a vanguard for the political empowerment of women.

His transformative leadership has been a catalyst for major progress towards gender equality in Albania and I thank him for the importance he has given to this event and the advancement of the gender agenda.