TIRANA (Albania), February 22 (SeeNews) – Albania’s progress on the path to European Union membership was slowed over the past year by inadequate implementation of measures against corruption and organized crime, Amnesty International said on Thursday in the 2017/2018 edition of its report The State of the World’s Human Rights.
“Impunity persisted for past killings and enforced disappearances. Measures protecting women from domestic violence were inadequately implemented. Women and children were trafficked for forced prostitution and labour,” the non-governmental organisation said in the annual report.
Measures to ensure judicial independence were only partially implemented.
“Physical attacks against investigative journalists were perpetrated by organized criminals, or owners of private companies,” the report added.
On migrants’ rights, the report said that some 4,421 Albanian asylum-seekers voluntarily returned from EU countries; 2,500 rejected asylum-seekers were deported from Germany.
Around 300 Roma and Egyptian houses were reconstructed, improving sanitation. However, most Roma lacked clean water and many were at risk of forced evictions.
Reports of domestic violence increased, Amnest International said, adding that 420 immediate protection orders had been issued by June 1, 2017.
An August 2017 survey found widespread discrimination in employment for LGBTI people in both the public and private sectors.
Albania was granted EU candidate status in 2014 and hopes to start membership negotiations this year.