Press Release

Tirana, December 9, 2020. The General Prosecutor's Office organized a joint roundtable on the "Inter-Institutional Cooperation for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence" with the participation of the Deputy Speaker of the Albanian Parliament Mrs. Vasilika Hysi, members of the Parliament, representatives of the OPDAT mission and victim’s coordinators attached to the prosecution offices. 

The activity was organized in the framework of the 16 days of activism against Gender Based Violence aiming at analyzing the steps that our country has undertaken during recent years in the framework of the approximation of criminal and procedural legislation, implementation of priority recommendations in the fight against Domestic Violence and Gender Based Violence, and at the same coordinating the work between institutions for the prevention of these phenomena.

The Speech of the Prosecutor, Ms. Pranvera Pustina, Director of the Cabinet, held in the event on the "Inter-Institutional Cooperation for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence" organised by the General Prosecutor’s Office.

Honoured participants, 
Good morning and welcome to this meeting, an initiative of the General Prosecutor's Office supported by the members of the Albanian Parliament, as well as by the foreign missions that assist our country in the fight against Domestic Violence and Gender Based Violence.

We are closing the 16 days of activism against these phenomena and we are at the end of a difficult year, so in these conditions we consider that this roundtable takes place at the right time to discuss with each other and analyze the steps we have taken in fulfilling mutual obligations and in implementing priority recommendations in the fight against Domestic Violence and Gender Based Violence, and at the same time to coordinate the work between our institutions.

Thank you to the participants of this roundtable and thank you to all of them who are following us online! Let me share with you the legal and factual picture regarding the prevention and fight against violence against women and the domestic one.

Undoubtedly, I emphasize in my speech the progress that Albania has made in the recent years in the framework of the approximation of substantive and procedural criminal legislation in this field.

With the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in 2012, Albania paved the way for a series of radical changes, especially in the criminal field, with the aim of ensuring zero tolerance 
(here, I am referring to the language of the convention) against this phenomenon which firstly should not be considered as a personal problem of an individual, a victim of violence, but as a concern that belongs to all of us as a society and that the answer must come unanimously.

The General Prosecutor's Office in compliance with its constitutional and legal function has been and continues to be focused on the appropriate implementation of the substantive criminal and procedural legislation; on the establishment of efficient and permanent structures as a supporter of the implementation of international standards in this field  and on the training of prosecutors and judicial police officers as well as staffing.
With reference to the statistical data collected and processed yearly by our institution, thus serving as an analytical basis to assess the situation on the effectiveness of criminal policies, we notice for the period January-September 2020 an increase in the number of registered cases regarding criminal offenses against children and family from 960 to 1000, compared to a year ago, on national level. Meanwhile for the same comparative period, in terms of sex crimes and murders due to family relationships, we see a downward trend in comparison with 2019.

The situation is not very optimistic this year, which has not finished yet, compared with the previous year, regarding protection orders and immediate protection orders issued by Albanian courts.  Out of 150 protection orders completed in 2019, 140 are judged for this year, and here we are referring only the data generated by the court of Tirana. Out of 804 immediate protection orders completed by the same court for 2019, their number for this year has exceeded 750.
We note a situation if not in regression, at least it is unchanged in terms of preventing and combating domestic and gender-based violence.

As to the above-mentioned, the General Prosecutor's Office remains steady in its evaluation that the measures needed to be taken in response to this negative phenomenon should include several actors and be accompanied by an in-depth analysis of a criminological, periodic and transparent nature for the public, with the aim of getting the so much needed results.
Currently, we have a criminal provision regarding Domestic Violence wholly changed, including in particular the expansion of the concept of family and consequently the circle of special subjects and the toughening (strengthening) of the sanctions.

The extremely traumatic effect that a crime within the family has, absolutely, requires a common response from the whole society and especially the law enforcement institutions (police, prosecution, and courts), but the drastic measure of toughening the punishment should be the last one, when all other measures have proved ineffective. In addition, what remains important is the complete and in-depth analysis of the current situation, of the needs that dictate the changes, the socio-economic consequences, and preventive, educational as well as the rehabilitative effect. Finally, we believe that it should be done much more in order to prevent these acts, by starting with the education of the society at an early age, by raising the awareness of vulnerable groups about their rights, and by facilitating the access to law enforcement institutions.

Based on the findings of the resolution of the Albanian Parliament and implementing the  recommendations of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) and the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), I have the pleasure to share with you the concrete measures undertaken by the General Prosecutor's Office for this year, as follows: 

• For the first time in response to the above requirements, the General Prosecutor's Office is working to generate specific statistics on these phenomena, believing that they will help us to propose well-argued steps and initiatives.
• At the end of this year, it  will be published and enter into force the Instruction of the General Prosecutor on the effective investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses against violence against women and hate violence that addresses the obligations of the Istanbul Convention, aiming at the unification of procedural measures in the prosecutions of general jurisdiction, promoting the inter-institutional cooperation and the civil society organizations in conducting trainings, drafting specific protocols and strategies for dealing with cases involving victims of gender-based violence, domestic violence and hate violence.
•Our goals are also to set up special sections in the prosecution, consisting of prosecutors specialized in domestic violence and gender-based violence. Through these sections will be aimed at increasing the efficiency in the investigation of these types of criminal offenses.
Today's meeting is also an expression of the proactive role of the General Prosecutor's Office in this regard, which undoubtedly serves to our best common cause.
                                                                   
I would like to reiterate that this is an effort that requires the commitment of all actors and the fact that we are together today at this table testifies to an inter-institutional will.