The US State Department released its annual report on human trafficking around the world.<\/p>\n
During its release, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the document provides the most comprehensive assessment of the phenomenon and governments’ efforts to combat it.<\/p>\n
He added that by measuring the progress made in 188 countries – including the United States – Washington aims to implement President Biden’s commitment to prevent trafficking, prosecute the perpetrators of this crime, and protect its victims.<\/p>\n
Secretary Blinken said that approximately 27 million individuals worldwide are exploited for work, services and commercial sex. Through force, trickery and coercion, they are forced to work in fields and factories, in restaurants and tenements. The victims are the most vulnerable individuals in the world taking advantage of their plight.<\/p>\n
The report divides countries into three levels. The first level includes countries whose governments fully respect the minimum standards.<\/p>\n
In the second tier are those countries whose efforts do not fully meet the minimum standards, but whose governments make significant efforts to achieve this.<\/p>\n
The third level includes countries whose efforts do not fully meet the minimum standards and whose governments do not make efforts in this direction.<\/p>\n
Both Albania and Kosovo are ranked this year, just like last year, in the category of second level countries.<\/p>\n
SITUATION IN ALBANIA:<\/strong><\/p>\n The report states that the government has seen overall increased efforts compared to a year ago.<\/p>\n Efforts included investigating sex traffickers, identifying more potential victims in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, and providing services to more victims.<\/p>\n But the report added that the government still failed to meet minimum standards in several key areas.<\/p>\n “The government investigated significantly fewer trafficking-related crimes, prosecuted fewer suspects, and did not convict any traffickers for the second year in a row,” the report said.<\/p>\n It is also stated that the police and district prosecutors do not have the appropriate experience and specialization to investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking and that the suspected perpetrators have been convicted of lesser crimes, such as “exploitation of prostitution”, instead of trafficking.<\/p>\n The report states that the government has not consistently controlled that part of the community that could potentially be a victim of trafficking, such as migrants, asylum seekers, Roma and Egyptian communities, as well as children.<\/p>\n Criminal investigation<\/strong><\/p>\n The report states that some of the government’s efforts to combat trafficking have declined.<\/p>\n The criminal code provided for sentences of eight to 15 years in prison for the crime of trafficking involving an adult victim and 10 to 20 years when the victim is a child.<\/p>\n The report states that the State Police investigated 26 cases, compared to 85 cases in 2022.<\/p>\n The attorney general’s office prosecuted eight new cases (seven for sex trafficking and one for an unspecified form of trafficking), compared to 17 new cases in 2022. It also continued to prosecute 42 cases initiated in previous years. Separately, the Special Prosecution Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) launched a new investigation (two in 2022) and continued the prosecution of two cases launched in the reported periods.<\/p>\n But the report found that the courts did not convict any traffickers for the second year in a row, compared to 11 convictions in 2021.<\/p>\n In past years, judges sentenced some traffickers to lenient sentences, such as probation, which reduced efforts to hold traffickers accountable, weakened deterrence mechanisms, and created safety concerns for victims.<\/p>\n The report states that the government did not announce any new investigations, prosecutions, or punishments of government employees complicit in human trafficking crimes, adding that corruption and cooperation of officials in trafficking crimes continues to be a concern.<\/p>\n The report recommends the investigation and vigorous prosecution of trafficking crimes and the punishment of traffickers, including complicit officials.<\/p>\n Significant prison sentences for perpetrators and training of judges at all levels to consider the severity of trafficking in sentencing are also required.<\/p>\n It is also required to have specialized police and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute these criminal offenses.<\/p>\n PROFILE<\/strong><\/p>\n As has been reported over the past five years, human traffickers exploit local and foreign victims in Albania as well as abroad.<\/p>\n Traffickers use Albanian women and children for sex and forced labor, especially during the tourist season.<\/p>\n They use false promises, such as offers of marriage or employment, to lure their victims.<\/p>\n Traffickers usually force children to beg, or perform other forms of forced labor, and also force children to commit crimes, including theft and drug distribution.<\/p>\n Traffickers use Albanian children, mainly from the Roma and Egyptian communities, for seasonal work and forced begging. Non-governmental organizations have announced that traffickers force children to sell narcotics mainly in schools. Traffickers use Albanian victims for sexual purposes throughout Europe, especially in Belgium, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and France.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The US State Department released its annual report on human trafficking around the world. During its release, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the document provides the most comprehensive assessment of the phenomenon and governments’ efforts to combat it. He added that by measuring the progress made in 188 countries – including the United States […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":70093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,1803],"tags":[6710,6709,150,243,151,513,925,490],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n