Why women and girls?

Gender inequality is not only a human rights issue; it is an enormous loss of the world’s human potential.

By denying women equal rights, we deny half of the population the opportunity to live to their full potential. If gender equality is achieved, it is not only women who will benefit, but all the world’s citizens.

In 2015, the 193 member states of the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 5 set the target of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls everywhere by 2030.

What women in Albania face

Women in Albania face various forms of unequal treatment, including discrimination, harassment, domestic violence and sexual abuse. Other particularly widespread forms include forced marriage, so-called honour killings, deprivation of education, denial of property rights, lack of access to work and services, discrimination at work and unequal participation in decision-making.

The Country Gender Profile 2025 identifies unpaid care work and traditional gender roles as persistent barriers to women’s economic opportunities. Responsibilities for caring for children, elderly relatives and family members with disabilities can limit access to paid employment and career progression. Addressing these barriers requires investment in care services, alongside measures to promote employment.

The reported average gender pay gap should be interpreted in light of these wider inequalities. Comparisons of average pay do not include women who are outside paid employment or who work without pay. Nor do they fully explain differences in working hours, professional opportunities or access to leadership positions.

For survivors of violence, financial insecurity makes it harder to leave an abusive relationship. Employment support must therefore be combined with legal aid, psychological counselling, childcare services, housing and social protection.

Access to housing remains a major challenge for survivors of violence. Albania has shelters that provide emergency or long-term accommodation for women and girls who have experienced violence. However, survivors who, for various reasons, do not wish to stay in a shelter are left without an alternative. The state does not offer alternative housing options such as social housing. Municipalities can cover rent in some cases, but this support has limitations, including its short duration, caps on the amount covered and bureaucratic procedures that prevent some survivors from benefiting from it.

State economic assistance for survivors of violence who have obtained a protection order is currently ALL 9,900 per month (approximately EUR 90). This amount is extremely low and insufficient to cover basic living needs, especially given the persistent inflation of recent years.

Why many women do not seek help

Although the number of reported cases has been rising, most women who experience violence never seek help or report it to the authorities, partly because of a lack of trust in security and justice institutions. According to the Albanian Security Barometer (2020), 13.6% of respondents do not trust the State Police, 43.5% do not trust the Prosecutor’s Office and 45.9% have no trust in the courts.