Albania

Victim Assistance

Last updated: 18 July 2018

Victim assistance action points

Continue to provide follow-up to address the needs identified during the explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivor assessment survey completed in 2016.
Develop existing capacities and management of the prosthetic center in Tirana to increase the quality of physical rehabilitation services.
Increase financial resources for healthcare and rehabilitation of survivors or their family members.
Maintain capacities of services and healthcare for amputees in remote areas.
Improve access to services for vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities and populations in rural or remote areas.

Victim assistance planning and coordination[1]

Government focal point	Albanian Mines and Munitions Coordination Office (AMMCO)
Coordination mechanisms	Informal coordination meetings with all relevant government, NGO, and international actors
Coordination regularity/frequency and outcomes/effectiveness	Ad hoc, as needed
Plans/strategies	National Victim Assistance Plan, within the framework of the Albanian Mine Action Program (AMAP), which includes all pillars of victim assistance and is aligned with the Mine Ban Treaty, Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), Convention on Cluster Munitions, and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)[2] In 2018, the national plan was in the process of a review[3] In 2016, the government approved the 2016–2020 National Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities,[4] supported by a state-funded budget of ALL1.5 billion (US$12 million)[5]
Disability sector integration	AMMCO consults relevant ministries and organizations of persons with disabilities in developing planning. In 2017, the two ministries covering healthcare and social welfare merged to form the Ministry of Health and Social Protection[6]
Survivor inclusion and participation	Survivors were represented in victim assistance planning and implementation of services, including the survivor survey and subsequent workshop, through participation in ALB-AID[7]
Recent reporting on victim assistance	Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for 2017), Form H[8] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for 2017) and supplementary reporting, Form J[9] Albania made a statement on victim assistance at the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings in June 2018announcing its preliminary victim assistance reporting

International commitments and obligations

The Republic of Albania is responsible for landmine survivors, cluster munition victims, and survivors of other ERW There are at least 851 mine/ERW survivors, including those injured by abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO), in Albania[10]
Mine Ban Treaty	Yes
Convention on Cluster Munitions	Yes
Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Protocol V	Yes
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)	Yes

Laws and policies

Framework Law No. 93 of 2014 on the Inclusion of and Access for People with Disabilities is the key relevant legislationthat protects the rights of persons with disabilities. The framework legislation is only partially compliant with the CRPD. Persons with disabilities continued to face difficulties in accessing employment, healthcare, education, and social services and faced barriers to participating in decision-making. Challenges in removing infrastructural barriers to accessibility remained. Monitoring of the implementation of disability rights is hampered by a lack of data. Most of the secondary legislation related to the law on inclusion and accessibility from 2014 still needed to be adopted.[11]

Secondary legislation for Law No. 93 contained a sub-act of incentives for the employment of persons with disabilities, including six full salaries, after which 50% of the salary is provided through government support and coverage of employees’ social insurance. The package and other economic-inclusion initiatives for persons with disabilities were supported by USAID.[12]

The European Commission recommended that Albania improve access to services for vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities and populations in rural or remote areas. The Law on Social Care Services entered into force in November 2016 and the Law on the Rights and the Protection of the Child in February 2017. The 2017–2020 national agenda for children’s rights was adopted in April 2017, promoting stronger governance in the protection of rights. In December 2016, the Council of Ministers approved the criteria, procedures, documentation, and amount of economic aid for offering more autonomy to local government units. The use of an information management system for beneficiaries of state assistance with disabilities was approved and was being implemented in a pilot phase.[13]

Major Developments in 2017–2018

Medical care and rehabilitation

Medical screening and regular check-ups for mine/cluster munition survivors are carried out regularly by family doctors or they are referred to a specialist as needed.

ITF Enhancing Human Security, with United States (US) Department of State funding supported the Kukës Regional Hospital prosthetics workshop with raw materials and components for the repair and production of prostheses in 2017.[14]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

Based on a needs assessment, the US Department of State, through ITF Enhancing Human Security, funded a project supporting the vocational training of 25 survivors.

Victim assistance providers and activities

Name of organization	Type of activity
Government
AMMCO	Coordination, monitoring, and fundraising for mine/ERW survivors’ educational activities
Kukës Regional Hospital	Prostheses and physical rehabilitation
National
Albanian Disability Rights Foundation (ADRF)	Rights-awareness, legal aid, wheelchair production, advocacy, and monitoring
ALB-AID	Social and economic inclusion (including education and vocational training), physical and psychosocial support, and the development of a survivor network

[1] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form J; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for the calendar year 2017), Form H.

[2] CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form B, May 2016; and CCW Protocol V Article 10 Report, Form E(a), May 2016.

[3] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (Annex), “Preliminary Observations,”undated but 2018.

[4] “National Action Plan on Persons with Disabilities 2016–2020,” June 2016. Approved by Decision of Council of Ministers No.483, on 29 June 2016.

[5] United States (US) Department of State, “2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Albania,” Washington, DC, April 2017.

[6] Interview with Veri Dogjani, AMMCO, Tirana, 25 May 2018.

[7] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for the calendar year 2017), Form H; and Monitor field mission notes, Tirana, 20 May 2015.

[8] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for the calendar year 2017), Form H.

[9] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form J.

[10] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (Annex), “Preliminary Observations,” undated but 2018.

[11] European Commission (EC), “Albania 2018 Progress Report,” 17 April 2018, p. 30.

[12] USAID, “Persons with Disabilities Gain Access to Vocational Training Facilities,” 13 July 2017; and interview with Flora Kalemi, Albanian Disability Rights Foundation (ADRF), and Suela Lala, Disability Rights Activist, Tirana, 21 May 2015.

[13] EC, “Albania 2018 Progress Report,” 17 April 2018, p. 78.

[14] Interview with Veri Dogjani, AMMCO, Tirana, 25 May 2018; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for the calendar year 2017), Form H.