Tirana, 19 February 2021 - Today UNFPA and the Albanian Parliament organized a hearing session for the presentation of the main findings of the report Adolescent and Youth Abuse in Albania, prepared by experts with experience in the field of public health and protection of children and young people, and supported by UNFPA.

This report provides a complete overview of the entire legal framework and national policies in place for the protection of the rights of adolescents and young people in Albania, as well as an in-depth (secondary) analysis of the existing data generated by several important surveys carried out in Albania in the last decade. This provides the necessary information about the characteristics of adolescent and youth abuse with a key focus on potential gender, socio-economic and other differences related to vulnerable population groups. The report notes that although over the last decade there has been a declining trend in the prevalence of various forms of adolescent and youth abuse in Albania, the determinants of abuse remain the same.

During her presentation, Dr. Gentiana Qirjako, Public Health Specialist stressed that “There is an urgent need to take action and provide all necessary, appropriate and accessible specialized support services to help abused girls and boys, especially in cases of sexual violence. These services must be sufficient to cover the entire territory of the country, must be delivered by a sufficient number of respective professionals, must be fully supported by dedicated allocated budget and must always be based on the required standards."

"UNFPA appreciates the co-operation and partnership with the Parliament, with the independent human rights institutions  like People’s Advocate and civil society organizations to condemn, combat and address violence in all its forms. A life without violence is a guarantee towards a healthy and prosperous country", declared Mrs. Dorina Tocaj, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Youth Program Analyst at the UNFPA office in Albania.

The findings of this in-depth analysis aim to help decision makers, educational and research institutions, parents and adolescents and young people themselves to understand the prevalence of violence, as well as the important determinants of its occurrence. We very much hope that this report will help improve all measures for the protection of adolescents and young people from any form of violence.

The session was attended by the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Mrs. Vasilika Hysi, Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Labor, Social Affairs and Health, Mr. Enver Roshi, Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Subcommission on Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women, Ms. Eglantina Gjermeni, the People’s Advocate Ms. Erinda Ballanca.

This event was organized by UNFPA Albania, in the framework of the UN Joint Program "Ending Violence Against Women" funded by the Government of Sweden and implemented by UNDP, UN Women and UNFPA in partnership with the Albanian Government.