OSCE Presence in Albania enhances collaboration with Albanian Prosecutors and State Police to combat human trafficking

The OSCE Presence in Albania has strengthened efforts in the fight against human trafficking by organizing a series of six local-level meetings with prosecutors and police officers throughout September and October 2024. The meetings aimed to address challenges in investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases and were led by a specialized Task Force under an OSCE project. This Task Force includes representatives from the High Court, High Prosecutorial Council, General Prosecution Office, Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, Ministry of Interior, and the General Directorate of State Police.

In the meetings, key recommendations were put forward by the Task Force to enhance human trafficking investigations, focusing on a victim-centred, multi-agency approach. These events brought together 29 police officers and 20 prosecutors, many of whom hold senior roles as regional prosecution heads and police directors. These professionals engaged in comprehensive discussions, sharing insights on complex cases and identifying areas for structural improvements in combating trafficking.

The discussions emphasized the importance of establishing dedicated anti-trafficking units and fostering stronger collaboration across various agencies to streamline case investigations, strengthen evidence collection, and improve prosecution outcomes. Special attention was given to the 2022 Unifying Decision by Albania's High Court on Human Trafficking and the Guideline from the General Prosecutor's Office, which incorporates a monitoring mechanism for trafficking case prosecutions, in line with OSCE recommendations.

This initiative highlighted the need for deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding human trafficking to boost victim protection and enhance Albania's ability to prevent and prosecute related crimes effectively.

These meetings are part of the second phase of the OSCE Presence's project titled, "Strengthening Albania's law-enforcement and prosecution capacities and multi-agency co-operation in combatting trafficking in human beings." This project, funded by the United Kingdom, Norway, Italy, and Ireland, follows a successful first phase that produced a Scoping Study on human trafficking investigations and prosecutions. The findings from this study have been endorsed by institutions within the Task Force and regional meetings.