[ALBSA-Info] US State Dept. Report on Human Trafficking

[Agron Alibali]

 Trafficking in Persons Report   -Report Home Page 
Released by the U.S. Department of State
July 2001
V. Country Narratives - Tier 3


Albania (Tier 3)

Albania is a source and transit country for trafficking. Trafficking victims are mostly women from Albania, Moldova, and Romania who are trafficked for sexual exploitation to Italy, Greece, Western Europe, Belgium, and the Netherlands. 

The Government of Albania does not meet the minimum standards, and has not yet made significant efforts to combat trafficking. It has taken steps to do so, but its efforts are limited by a lack of resources and corruption at all levels of government. The Penal Code prohibits trafficking in persons, and penalties are commensurate with those of rape. The Government investigates and prosecutes trafficking, and there were 144 prosecutions in 2000 for violating the trafficking law. The Government is working to establish an anti-trafficking center in Vlora. The Government provides minimal support for small-scale anti-trafficking education, but otherwise supports no prevention or protection programs. Foreign victims who agree to testify are exempt from deportation until the conclusion of criminal proceedings. The Government does not assist repatriated Albanian victims.

...........

Greece  (Tier 3)



Greece is a transit and destination country for trafficking. Most victims are women who are trafficked for sexual exploitation through Greece to Western Europe from Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Albania, and Yugoslavia. 

The Government of Greece does not meet the minimum standards; and has not yet made significant efforts to combat trafficking. The Government has established an inter-ministerial committee for trafficking in human beings, but has not yet acknowledged publicly that trafficking is a problem. There is no law that addresses all forms of severe trafficking, although the Penal Code prohibits slavery, pandering, and pimping. Trafficking cases rarely are brought to trial, and sentences are light. Corruption among police and border control is a major problem; the police bureau of internal affairs has successfully investigated a number of cases of police misbehavior. The Government signed the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. The Government has not sponsored any significant protection or prevention efforts, other than a hotline for battered women and limited funding for the International Organization for Migration to handle deportation of victims in 2000. Greek officials met with German, Italian, and Albanian ministers in the summer of 2000 to discuss creating a regional center to handle trafficking in persons. Greece maintains tight controls on non-EU citizens' entry. 



---------------------------------
Do You Yahoo!?
Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35 a year!
http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/
-------------- next part --------------
HTML attachment scrubbed and removed