ECPAT Albania (also known as CRCA Albania) is one of the oldest and largest child rights organisations in the country. They work to improve policies, legislation, and access to free public services for children and youths; end online and offline child and youth sexual abuse and exploitation; and end human trafficking.
ECPAT Albania runs the Hotline for missing children, the Hotline for Child and Youth Internet Safety, and Barnahus Albania. Over the past 25 years, ECPAT Albania has supported the Albanian Government and local civil society organisations to foster an environment where the rights of children and youth are respected, promoted, and protected. Through ECPAT Albania’s Youth Parliament and the Albanian National Youth Network, they represent the interests and needs of more than 35,000 children and youth.
Contact: Mr. Altin Hazizaj
Phone: +35542265741
Address: Kutia Postare 1738, Tirana
Email: altin.hazizaj@crca.al
Website: https://www.crca.al/sq
21.4% of the 15-18 year old children in the Albanian society are Roma children and 93.5% of the married children belong to the Roma community.
Albania ratified/acceded to all three Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the Council of Europe Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention).
Reportedly, some Albanian parents and other family members arrange the marriage of girls for trafficking or force their children to beg in order to make money.
Year: 2021
Year: 2021
Year: 2020
Year: 2020
No
Age of sexual consent is 14 years. The national legislation does not provide for a close-in-age exemption
ECO Albania, 2020
No
Active and passive extraterritoriality is provided for SEC-related crimes but those punished with 5 years of imprisonment or less require double criminality.
Extradition is governed by international conventions ratified by Albania and requires double criminality, at the condition that the penalty is of at least one year of imprisonment (which excludes some SEC-related offences).
ECO Albania, 2020
No
The national legislation does not provide a definition of CSAM which is in line with international standards.
ECO Albania, 2020
Not Yet Assessed
Partial
Albania has ratified the CRC, the OPSC, the OPIC, the Trafficking Protocol and the ILO Convention No.182.
Albania has also ratified the Council of Europe’s Lanzarote and Budapest Conventions.
Albania has not ratified the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics
ECO Albania, 2020
Partial
A Child Advocacy Centre (Barnahus Centre) was established by ECPAT Albania in 2020 as part of the European Barnahus network. However, centre still has to develop the capacity to provide forensic interviewing for child victims in order to become a full network member.
There is a Victims Assistance Office within the General Prosecutors Office meant to provide counselling and support to sexual exploitation victims although status as of June 2020 the office had not yet provided support to child victims of SEC.
ECO Albania, 2020
Not Yet Assessed
Not Yet Assessed
No
Data on SEC cases is not publicly available. The only relevant national data available is on the number of women married under the age of 18 and it is not clearly disaggregated.
ECO Albania, 2020
