Introduction
BMS World Mission and Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking in Europe (CHASTE) are working together with the Albanian government, non-governmental organisations and local churches to help alleviate trafficking in humans through the mobilisation of Christian communities.
topAbout the Country
Albania is a country of origin for victims of trafficking. Victims are trafficked mostly for sexual exploitation but also for labour and begging. A large number of victims are minors, people from the Roma and Egyptian community, as well as some victims with mental and physical disabilities. A serious issue for Albania is the amount of organised criminal activities and how the country can begin to address this. The government has put a great deal of effort into tackling this phenomenon.
Long periods of political instability, a weak private sector, the lack of budgetary resources and improper economic and social policies are the major characteristics that have prompted the trafficking phenomena in Albania. [1]
It has been a serious issue in Albania since 1992. Research by the 'anti-trafficking directorate of the Ministry of Public Order' estimates that, between 1992-2000, 4,000 children under 18 years of age have been trafficked into neighbouring countries for sexual exploitation, begging, slave labour and to be used in criminal networks abroad. [2]
In Albania there is no single factor for trafficking in foreign and national victims. Causes include poor family relations, violence and abuse in the home, lack of economic opportunity, social disenfranchisement and poverty. [3]
During 2000 the government began to address the issue of human trafficking and in 2001 they introduced the first national strategy in combating human trafficking in Albania. Since this they have written another Albanian National Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and a strategic framework and national action plan, 2005-2007. [4]
The strategy and its action plan focus on a holistic approach towards the issue of trafficking in Albania and a National Referral Mechanism and regional structures have been created through this. However, despite the regional focus, they still report to the central government and, because they are newly established, suffer from poor coordination and poor information-sharing as well as lack of a community-orientation approach.
Therefore it is essential to enhance the efforts to decentralise and strengthen the local authorities. Communities must create their own strategies for tackling the trafficking of human beings with their own resources. The needs of each community will differ and, through these community resource centres and regional anti-trafficking committees, which the Albania government has already implemented, the needs can be identified and met.
Case study
Keta is a fourteen year old girl. Her family is poor and in desperate need of money. There are four other children to feed who are younger than Keta.
One of their neighbours knew the problems the family where having and she suggested that Keta go to Italy, get a job and send money back. Keta thought this was a great idea but her parents were not so sure. The neighbour assured them that she would be safe, she would travel with her and introduce her to some people she knew in businesses in Italy and who would be able to give her a job.
Eventually Keta went with the neighbour. As she had no visa they left by speed boat from a town in the south of Albania, Vlora, in the middle of the night. When they arrived in Italy, Keta was introduced to two men, one Italian and one Albanian. Her neighbour told her they would get her a job and find her some accommodation, then she left.
From that day on Keta was sold into prostitution. She felt so alone and missed her family so much. She was determined to return to her family. Eventually she called home and told her parents it had not worked out and she wanted to come home. Her father came to Italy and brought her home. They reported this to the police and they eventually caught the neighbour and she was arrested. The neighbour denied selling Keta into prostitution. She told the police she had arranged for Keta to work in a factory in Italy and that the money she was earning would help the family.
It was a real blessing for Keta that her family accepted her back and did not disown her. Keta has returned and received a lot of love from her family but she is still having nightmares about what has happened to her over the past year. Keta's family still do not have money which means she still needs to find work, which continues to be a great burden to her and she is not sure who she can trust.
topProject Outline
For human trafficking to be truly addressed in any country it is essential for all actors within this field of work to work together, identify the gaps within the service provisions, then attempt to meet these gaps. This project presents the role of the Church within this structure and how it can assist in the facilitation of bringing these varying actors together. This project is divided into three main parts which are explained below:
1
The first part will be the implementation of a CHASTE Albania office. This will be to facilitate a similar organisation to CHASTE here in the UK. The aim of this organisation will be to enhance the capacity of the faith communities to deliver interventions on human trafficking issues in Albania.
2
We will be setting up small businesses to provide employment for these girls and seeking accommodation for them through the local churches, to assist in their re-integration back into society.
3
The second part of the project will be focused on research. This will be to explore the link between trafficking in children and domestic violence.
There is little research done on this in Albania but there is substantial evidence provided by media and other sources on the violence suffered by victims from Albania and from other countries, who have been exploited by Albanian pimps.
The findings from our research will help design the community-based responses envisaged. This may, for instance, lead the community resource centres to implement areas of training for families such as parenting classes, which would hopefully reduce the violence within the homes and then break the cycle of trafficking.
topHistory of the project
This work began in the women's prisons in Albania six years ago. It started by us visiting the female prisoners in one of the prisons in Tirana. This work developed into starting educational projects in the prisons because the law stated they were entitled to education six months prior to leaving prison but the government did not provide this due to financial restraints. We began training the women in hairdressing, sewing, English, computers and Italian and we got the courses recognised with technical colleges in the city of Tirana so the women and girls could gain a credited qualification. Our overall aim is:
'To assist in the rehabilitation of women prisoners by providing them with the skills and support needed to successfully reintegrate back into society as productive members.'
As the project became more established we developed it in the second women's prison in Tirana, on the request of the prison authorities. This prison is a pre-detention centre, where the women and girls are in the process of their court cases or are in prison for a short time.
We started meeting girls who told us they had chosen to become prostitutes because they needed to get money for their family. Then when they left prison we found out they had been trafficked. They did not tell us this when they were in prison because the trafficker had their child or had threatened to hurt someone close to them if they spoke.
It was from these contacts with girls and women that we began investigating into the situation of trafficking in Albania and finding out what the existing services were. We became more aware that there are a number of areas that were not provided for and we felt strongly that the local churches could be the link between the existing services and the gaps in the service provision. For the last few years we have been researching and working closely with the International Organisation for Migration as well as the Albania government to help see the victim receiving the holistic service they deserve.
topOrganisations
This initiative will be taken forward by BMS World Mission and Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking in Europe (CHASTE), UK-based organisations that will be supporting the local partner in Albania. These organisations have joined forces to ensure that the best service possible can be offered to the victims of trafficking and can research into why people are becoming traffickers.
BMS is a Christian world mission organisation with 200 years' experience of helping the world's most vulnerable people and today works in 40 countries. It has been sending and supporting workers in Albania for a variety of reasons over the past 15 years. CHASTE is a leading UK Charity with expertise in the area of trafficking, board members of the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre which has built a highly successful model of working through the churches in the UK whilst closely liaising with government agencies to combat this phenomena.
With the combination of BMS' knowledge of Albania and the expertise that CHASTE has in this area of work, this project will be able to support the local Albanian partners in moving initiatives forward.
topPractical Ways to involved
Children and Schools:
1
You could run a school fundraising event such as a disco or fun day in the park raising money for the children who are victims of trafficking in Albania.
2
Children could do a sponsored activity for example a sponsored swim or walk.
Adults:
1
Pray for the work and for the victims.
2
You could give financially to the project.
Churches:
1
Invite someone from BMS World Mission or CHASTE to speak at your church.
2
Have a service devoted to this issue and invite a speaker.
3
Set up a prayer group in your church, to pray for the projects and the victims.
Businesses:
1
Give financially to the project.
3
Highlight awareness in your company, raise awareness of the need to break the injustice of this trade.
1. 'Kids as Commodities? Child trafficking and what to do about it' by Mike Dottridge foreword by Graca Machel, International Federation Terre des Hommes, May 2004.
2. 'Kids as Commodities? Child trafficking and what to do about it' By Mike Dottridge.
3. Second Annual Report on Victims of Trafficking in South-Eastern Europe, completed in 2005, by Rebecca Surtees from International Organisation of Migration.
4. Report on the implementation of Albanian National Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, January-June 2006, completed by Anti-trafficking Unit, Ministry of Interior.