Country: Albania
Group: Roma
Date Finalized: 04/10/2022
Team: Lacey Hurst (lead), Rayna Castillo, Nichole Dahlen, Laura Hass
Content Warning: Trafficking, child abuse
Approximate Time Period: 1990s-present
The Roma people are one of the most politically and socioeconomically oppressed ethnic groups in Albania (Minority Rights Group, 2015). After the fall of the communist regime in 1991, the quality of life for Roma in Albania began to decline (De Soto et al., 2005). Roma were among the first to lose their jobs which lead to increasing poverty within their communities (Feuk, 2003). Low employment, lack of education, discrimination from Albanian politicians and society, and extreme poverty have made Roma women and children, particularly girls, vulnerable to sex trafficking (De Soto et al., 2005).
Roma women and girls become victims of sex trafficking in several ways. Impoverished Albanian Roma women often coerced into sex work while searching for employment opportunity abroad (De Soto et al., 2005). Albanian men will propose marriage to young Roma women, only to take them to Italy for the purpose of forced sex work (De Soto et al., 2005). Roma families living in extreme poverty will sell or rent out their women and girls to Albanian traffickers (De Soto et al., 2005). Organized sex trafficking groups will kidnap or lure away Roma women and girls (De Soto et al., 2005).
As of 2021, the U.S. State Department has said that while Albania has made “significant efforts” towards eliminating trafficking, it is still failing to meet the standard minimum requirements (Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons [JTIP], 2021). This includes a failure to screen vulnerable populations for potential trafficking victims (JTIP, 2021).
Data Quality: The data quality is rated a 3/3 due to multiple reputable resources.
Sources
1. De Soto, H., Beddies, S., & Gedeshi, I. (2005). Roma and Egyptians in Albania. World Bank Working Papers. https://doi.org/10.1596/0-8213-6171-6
2. Feuk, R. (2003). (rep.). ODIHR CPRSI Assessment Trip to Albania on Trafficking in Children from Roma and Egyptian communities. OSCE ODIHR.
3. Minority Rights Group. Roma (2015, June). Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/roma/
4. Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. (2021, August 5). Albania. United States Department of State. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-trafficking-in-persons-report/albania/