Albania
Region: Europe / Population: 2,855M / Female Population: 1,429M
Gender Inequality Index Rank
Global Gender Gap Index Rank
Lifetime Physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence
Physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence in the last 12 months
Lifetime Non-Partner Sexual Violence
Country Snapshots were developed by UN Women on the basis of information contained in the database
Laws & Policies
Constitutional Provisions on Violence against Women
NO
Stand-alone EVAW Law
YES
On Measures Against Violence in Family Relations (2018)
National Action Plan on VAW (latest one that is currently into force)
NO
National Strategy on VAW (latest one that is currently into force)
YES
Law against Sexual Harassment
YES
The Assembly of the Republic of Albania, Law no. 10 221 dated 4.2.2010 on protection from discrimination and Article 108/a of Criminal Code
Provision against Marital Rape
YES
Equality in Marriage and Divorce
YES
Article 50 of Family Code
Source: World Bank Group, Women, Business and the Law 2022, Albania
Minimum Age of Male Marriage
18
*local court may approve marriage at an earlier age 'for matters of importance'
Minimum Age of Female Marriage
18
*local court may approve marriage at an earlier age 'for matters of importance'
Law Prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
NO
Assessment of Services for Women Survivors of Violence
Governance and Coordination
Existence of a governance structure or coordination mechanism
YES
National level:
National Council on Gender Equality (advisory body composed of government and civil society representatives, Council of Ministers, Order no. 3, 8.1.2009
Ministry of Health and Social Protection (coordinating body of all efforts related to EVAW established by the law on measures against family relations)
Coordinated Referral Mechanism was set up in all 61 municipalities, composed of local level public and non-public institutions that play a role in combating VAW, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, "We strengthen the reaction mechanism of institutions to domestic violence", 6.11.2017
Justice
Availability of administrative data on justice
YES
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on protection orders issued related to VAW
Number of VAW specialized courts
There is no VAW specialized court, but there are judges in several administrative courts who are specialized in VAW
Number of women accessing justice services (latest year)
1696 women accessed courts in 2021
Number of legal aid service organizations for VAW/G survivors
12 civil society organizations are licensed to provide free legal aid
Police
Availability of administrative data on police
YES
The annual report “Men and Women in Albania” is published by Institute of Statistics. Police publishes data on crimes, including crimes related to domestic violence annually.
Source: Institute of Statistics, Women and Men in Albania, 2021
Number of police stations or units specialized in EVAW
1 Gender Equality staff is located in the Albanian State Police HQ
Source: Data provided from Albanian state police and also available in the State report to the Committee of Parties in 2021.
Number of law enforcement professionals trained to respond to incidents of VAW/G in accordance with a standardized curriculum
Not available
Number of women accessing police services (latest year)
1174 women reported to police in 2021
Social Services
Availability of administrative data on social services
YES
Data are not publicly available. To obtain data, request need to be made to relevant institutions. However, not all data is collected. For instance, cases referred to the local referral mechanisms should be added to the REVALB system, but not all municipalities do so.
Number of social services (i.e. shelters, helplines, centres offering psycho-social counselling support)
1 national center for the treatment of domestic violence victims
1 national center for victims of trafficking
1 crisis management center for cases of sexual violence
1 national helpline offering a toll-free line to report violence and seek psycho-social support (in total 5 counselling lines including those at local level)
16 emergency shelters placed in municipalities/regions
2 centers for addressing cases of sexual violence against children
1 national center for victims of trafficking
1 crisis management center for cases of sexual violence
1 national helpline offering a toll-free line to report violence and seek psycho-social support (in total 5 counselling lines including those at local level)
16 emergency shelters placed in municipalities/regions
2 centers for addressing cases of sexual violence against children
Number of women accessing social services (latest year)
1061 women have benefitted from case management at the local referral mechanism level in 2021
Health
Availability of administrative data on health
NO
Number of health units that have documented and adopted a protocol for the clinical management of VAW/G survivors
Not available
Number of women accessing health services (latest year)
Not available
Experiencing Violence?
