The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today concluded its consideration of the fifth periodic report of Albania, with Committee Experts commending the State’s efforts to combat human trafficking, while asking about gender parity quotas in politics and education for rural girls. A Committee Expert commended Albania’s steps to address human trafficking, including through the adoption of the national action plan against trafficking in persons, the network of centres of the national coalition of anti-trafficking shelters, and decriminalising victims of trafficking, among other measures. One Committee Expert commended Albania for bringing 30 per cent quotas into the political sphere, which meant women’s representation in Albania was above the national average. However, the objective was 50 per cent. What complimentary measures did Albania intend to implement to reach this objective? Did Albania intend to broaden quotas to boards of businesses, including those that were publicly owned? What measures would enable all women to access their rights? A Committee Expert said rural women faced the highest rates of unemployment in the country and only had eight or nine years of education. Could information be provided on measures taken by the Government to provide access to primary and secondary education to young girls in rural areas? What measures was the State taking on the inclusion of rural women in various vocational training, including agriculture and livestock, to increase women’s access to markets? The delegation said Albania was one of the countries which was ranked highly regarding the representation of women at the highest level of government; around 62 per cent of the Government was comprised of women ministers. The Constitutional Court currently held a majority of women, and the chief justice was also a woman. The inclusion of women at senior levels was evident. The need to change the gender equality law was timely, as the laws needed to be aligned with the 50 per cent quota. The delegation said the Ministry of Education had taken a series of measures to ensure the education of rural women and girls. All those who lived more than two kilometres from their school were provided with free transport. Improvements had been made to school infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. Training was provided specifically for female farmers. There were 11 centres for vocational training, with one being a mobile centre to reach more remote areas. Introducing the report, Denada Seferi, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Albania and head of the delegation, said the Albanian Government focused on women’s rights issues and had taken a series of measures concerning the improvement of the legal framework based on the principles of equality and putting an end to all forms of discrimination against women. These included amendments to the law on protection from discrimination in 2020 to provide, inter alia, the prohibition of multiple discrimination, intersectional discrimination, hate speech, segregation, and sexual harassment. With regard to the participation of women in public and political life, the principles of gender equality were strengthened with the introduction of the 30 per cent gender quota in election bodies of the main local governance units and in all levels of the election administration. “Zero tolerance for violence against women and domestic violence” was the main slogan of the Albanian Government, supported by the adoption of laws and their implementation across the 61 municipalities of the country. The Albanian Government was committed to work for the protection and respect of women"s rights in all fields. In closing remarks, Ms. Seferi said Albania was hugely committed to implementing any recommendations provided by the Committee. These would be applied to country-wide gender-based violence programmes and gender equality programmes going forwards. Ana Peláez Narváez, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for the constructive dialogue with the Committee which helped the Experts to better understand the situation of women and girls in Albania. The State party was commended on its efforts and encouraged to implement all the recommendations provided by the Committee. The delegation of Albania was comprised of representatives of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Interior; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Finance and Economy; the Ministry of Education and Sports; the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment; the Ministry of Culture; the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy; the Ministry of State for the Protection of Enterprises; the Albanian Parliament; the National Agency of Employment and Capacities; and the Permanent Mission of Albania to the United Nations Office at Geneva. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women’s eighty-sixth session is being held from 9 to 27 October. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage. The Committee will next meet in public at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 19 October to review the eighth periodic review of Malawi (CEDAW/C/MWI/8). Report The Committee has before it the fifth periodic report of Albania (CEDAW/C/ALB/5). Presentation of Report DENADA SEFERI, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Albania and head of the delegation, said the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and its general recommendations were an important roadmap for the alignment of domestic legislation and the development of policies and programmes to encourage gender equality, and to tackle gender-based violence and domestic violence. Albania had translated the Convention and disseminated its provisions, and judicial staff, police officers and others received training on it. The Albanian Government focused on women’s rights issues and had taken a series of measures concerning the improvement of the legal framework based on the principles of equality and putting an end to all forms of discrimination against women. These measures included amendments to the law on protection from discrimination in 2020 to provide, inter alia, the prohibition of multiple discrimination, intersectional discrimination, hate speech, segregation, and sexual harassment. Between 2020 and 2023, the Commissioner for the Protection from Discrimination had handled 59 cases of discrimination on the grounds of gender. However, concerns remained regarding the identification and follow up on cases of discrimination and multiple disadvantaging of women, young women and girls, especially those from vulnerable groups. Concerning access to justice, Albania had been improving access to justice for all citizens, including women. So far 4,580 women in the period 2021–2023 had benefited from primary legal aid. As for gender-based violence, the law on domestic violence was amended in 2018 and in 2020 to address, inter alia, the issue of violence in emergencies, such as the one caused by COVID-19. With regard to the participation of women in public and political life, the principles of gender equality were strengthened with the introduction of the 30 per cent gender quota in election bodies of the main local governance units and in all levels of the election administration. The National Gender Equality Strategy 2021-2030, with a budget of 27 million euros, focused on eliminating discrimination and the intersection of gender discrimination with other factors, paying close attention to all proposed interventions for women and girls across their diversity and the most disadvantaged groups, including the Roman and Egyptian communities, women and girls with disabilities, economically deprived women and girls, rural women and girls, violated or trafficked women, young women and girls, single mothers, migrant and asylum seeking women and girls, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex plus women, young women and girls, and elderly women. Strengthening families and women was a priority for social policies. Economic assistance benefits had increased by 20 per cent in 2022 for 64,000 families in need. Special State support was provided to unemployed mothers of three or more children through subsidies. A total of 8,200 unemployed mothers had benefited from this policy. “Zero tolerance for violence against women and domestic violence” was the main slogan of the Albanian Government, supported by the adoption of laws and their implementation across the 61 municipalities of the country. The State police had identified a total of 5,214 cases of violence and other offenses in the family in 2022, of which the case files of 2,274 cases of violence and other offenses in the family had been referred to the prosecutor for criminal prosecution. The empowerment of women and girls through their participation in decision making had improved considerably with regard to political and executive decision making. Women were represented at senior leadership levels in all levels of power in Albania. The Speaker of the Albanian Parliament was a woman and over 62.5 per cent of the Government were also women, including the Deputy Prime Minister. The majority of the independent institutions were led by women and two-thirds of the Constitutional Court justices were also women. The Albanian Government was committed to work for the protection and respect of women"s rights in all fields. Today"s dialogue would serve as a roadmap for concrete further measures to improve the implementation of women"s rights in all their diversity. Questions by Committee Experts MARIANNE MIKKO, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur for Albania, congratulated Albania for becoming a member of the Human Rights Council last week. In the Government, there were more women than men, propelling Albania with 9 female ministers to the top of global rankings in terms of the percentage of women holding cabinet positions. However, following local mayoral elections, women represented only 13 per cent of mayors. What was the reason for this? The Government of Albania faced a challenge in the implementation of laws. Roma-Egyptian women and rural women were not aware of their rights enshrined within national and international frameworks. The law on discrimination also lacked coverage of women with disabilities. What measures were being taken to educate women, including young women, rural women, Roma-Egyptian women and women with disabilities, on human rights in general, including the Convention? What steps had the State party taken to implement non-discrimination legislation? What steps had been taken to educate legal professionals and society at large about the principles of non-discrimination? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said the Convention was included in the curriculum of magistrates and there had been continuous training with representatives of the State police. The national gender equality strategy for 2021-2030 was based on the Convention, the Istanbul Convention, and the recommendations of the Committee provided to the Albanian State. Special national action plans were in place for marginalised groups, including rural women, Roma-Egyptian women and women with disabilities. Gender-based violence was still underfunded and underreported. However, improvements had been made in reporting mechanisms and awareness raising, and reporting by victims had increased. A law provided for special protection for women, mothers, and women with disabilities, and defined violence between cohabiting partners, stalking and sexual harassment. The Albanian parliament had organised a series of hearings with ministries, national human rights institutions and civil society. Question by a Committee Expert and Responses by the Delegation MARIANNE MIKKO, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur for Albania, asked if there was a member of parliament amongst the delegation? Could figures for the increased reporting of gender-based violence be provided? Could the delegation comment on the reported lack of State resources? The delegation said in 2022, there were 5,210 cases of gender-based violence reported, and more than 3,000 cases so far reported for 2023. The State had designed immediate protection orders for the victims. There were sub-committees within Parliament, including those on violence against women and the human rights sub-committee, which held meetings with civil society organizations. The Government cooperated with the Ombudsperson and utilised data collected from the field. Prisons were monitored to ascertain how female prisoners were being treated. A regional conference on women members of parliament was organised, including North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, discussing coordination at a regional level. Regarding State funds, those for gender issues had increased from 2.3 per cent from the 2017–2019 period, to 9 per cent in 2022–2024 for gender responsive budgeting. Albania was supported by international organizations, including United Nations Women, to develop the draft gender-responsive budget. A specific sector within the Government was dedicated to gender equality and domestic violence. However, there was room for improvement, including increasing gender employees at the local level. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert said the National Council on Gender Equality only convened sporadically, around once a year. What steps could be taken to strengthen the Council on a national level? What steps were being taken to enhance the local mechanisms? What were the institutional links between the machinery and the Ministry of Social Health and protection? What steps had been taken to collect disaggregated data based on sex? A Committee Expert commended Albania for bringing 30 per cent quotas into the political sphere, which meant women’s representation in Albania was above the national average. However, the objective was 50 per cent. What complimentary measures did Albania intend to implement to reach this objective? Did Albania intend to broaden quotas to boards of businesses, including those that were publicly owned? What measures would enable all women to access their rights? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said the Ministry of Health and Social Protection was the State institution for the coordination of policies of gender equality. The mechanism for gender equality had 11 gender officers in 11 ministries, which were responsible for women’s rights. There were also gender officers in the State police and the National Statistics Institute. Albania was a small country with limited resources, and in some local municipalities, officials could hold multiple functions. In the June 2023 meeting, the National Gender Equality Council approved important documents, including the National Monitoring Report of the Gender Equality Strategy of the previous year, which highlighted the relevant gaps by stakeholders and institutions. It also adopted the monitoring report of the Istanbul Convention in Albania, relating to the improvement of services for victims. The role of the National General Equality Council was visible throughout Albania. There were three civil society representatives on the Council who were able to directly raise issues from this perspective. The National Human Rights Institution was reaccredited with A Status and its role had increased significantly during the reporting period. The Ombudsperson had opened seven regional offices throughout Albania and had a specific section covering women’s rights. Albania was one of the countries which was ranked highly regarding the representation of women at the highest level of the government; around 62 per cent of the Government was comprised of women ministers. The Constitutional Court currently held a majority of women, and the chief justice was also a woman. The inclusion of women at senior levels was evident. Special measures were given to the education of girls, particularly those from Roma-Egyptian communities. In municipality councils, 50 per cent of the councils were comprised of women. The need to change the gender equality law was timely, as the laws needed to be aligned with the 50 per cent quota. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert commended the State party for the efforts made during the reporting period. However, the Committee was concerned about the prevalence of gender-based violence, insufficient shelters, and harmful practices such as child marriage and femicide. The Expert commended Albania for having endorsed the United Nations resolution on child marriage in July of this year, which demonstrated the State’s commitment to end child marriage. In 2022, there was no official early marriages recorded. While this looked positive, it raised concern that child marriages were now happening through informal channels. How was the State party planning to end child marriage, in particular for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons? What measures would the State party take to address femicide, including through establishing a femicide watch? How would gender-based stereotypes be addressed as a root cause for gender-based violence? Were there plans to establish shelters in other municipalities and ensure they combined with the highest standards for dealing with victims of domestic violence? Were there plans to establish more helplines for vulnerable women and girls in rural areas? Were there plans to ensure protection orders were effectively monitored and enforced? Another Expert commended Albania’s steps to address human trafficking, including through the adoption of the national action plan against trafficking in persons, the network of centres of the national coalition of anti-trafficking shelters, and decriminalising victims of trafficking, among other measures. Assistance for victims was provided by the national coalition of trafficking shelters, but there was a need to provide an additional centre for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and transgender community. Could Albania comment on this? No victims of human trafficking had been identified among asylum seekers and there were challenges identifying vulnerable groups. Could the delegation address this? Was it possible that cases of trafficking were not being identified? Prostitution was illegal in the State party, but how were women being protected? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said the legal age of marriage was above 18 and in the case of those who wished to get married at the age of 16, this was decided by the court. There had been no recorded cases of marriage below this age, however, this did not mean the phenomenon no longer existed. After the findings of a study on the perception of early marriage, policies had been established aimed at the reduction of this phenomenon. Albania aimed to reduce early marriage by strengthening the family, including through economic support, to eliminate the early marriage of girls. The phenomenon of early marriage, which had almost been eliminated in the country, mostly happened in marginalised groups due to traditional reasons. The Albanian Government protected vulnerable groups, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and transgender persons. Within the past 10 years, this community had positively transformed within Albania. This was due to action by the State but also actions taken by civil society. Annual pride parades were organised each year in Albania and there were increased awareness raising activities. Regarding the number of femicides, these were monitored and reported on by the State police and published on the official website of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. The Government was working with the Ombudsperson to establish an observatory for femicide cases in Albania. There had been a change regarding gender stereotypes in Albania. This had previously been a delicate issue which could not be discussed. Now a change in legislation allowed fathers to take increased paternal leave, improving positive parenting in Albania. Albania had ratified the International Labour Organization 190 Convention on sexual harassment in the workplace, which was a positive development. The Criminal Code was currently under review. There were four centres dedicated to trafficking in Albania. State structures, including the border police, identified and referred cases of trafficking. The State continued to organise trainings and meetings, including in the area of unaccompanied minors and identifying trafficking victims. Training was provided to improve the capacity of front-line professionals. A memorandum of understanding was currently being signed with a focus on small businesses, to address trafficking which occurred in massage parlours and nightclubs. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert said it was clear that the low proportion of women elected as mayors was a subject of concern. It was important for Albania to step up action in this field. In Albania the climate of hate speech could be grounds for concern. What happened to the recommendations issued to mitigate hate speech? What was the State’s approach to political parity, and what would be done to increase the awareness-raising on the importance of parity? What actions could be brought about within civil society? Had Albania made progress in terms of diplomacy? Would action be stepped up? Another Committee Expert said the State party had ratified the Convention relating to the status of stateless persons, however, there were issues concerning its implementation. Albania did not have a law on statelessness, but did have a law on asylum and foreigners, which could create identification issues at the border. In 2017, only four per cent of those who requested asylum received it, which was 13 persons. How did Albania plan to resolve the problem of the identification of stateless persons and implementation of the legislation? What were the main training programmes for the identification, registration and support of stateless persons? How would national legislation for effective identification of stateless persons be improved? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said Albania aimed to include men and boys in discussions on gender equality and gender-based violence as much as possible. Campaigns had been undertaken to include as many boys and men as possible in the fight against gender discrimination. The five major religions that cohabitated with each other in Albania provided messages of non-discrimination within their communities. Albania was now on course to adopt a second action plan for resolution 13/25 which would strengthen the role of women in diplomacy, the armed forces and leadership institutions, such as the State police. Albanian diplomats were represented in many missions across the world, and the head of the Albanian Mission in Geneva was a woman. In 2021 Albania reviewed its asylum law. When stateless persons sought to enter Albania, they were registered as seekers of international protection at a border crossing point. Temporary protection could be applied for six months and extended up to three years. This was seen with refugees from Ukraine, who remained in the territory under temporary protection. Albania cooperated with United Nations organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The strengthening of social housing for victims of domestic violence was a key objective of the Government. There was the opportunity for victims of domestic violence to be provided with bonus rent, to allow them and their children to reintegrate within society. Children that risked statelessness were awarded automatic Albanian citizenship. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert drew attention to the issue of cyber harassment, particularly in politics. It was important that countries like Albania ensured women in development policies were a priority and given the opportunity to access decision-making themselves. MARIANNE MIKKO, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur for Albania, said the fact that Albania had more women than men in the cabinet should be a driver to discuss a feminist foreign policy. Had this been discussed? Another Expert asked how many women were present in the upper echelon of the Albanian armed forces, including the navy, army and air force? An Expert asked about the accessibility of refugees and asylum seekers to social housing? Could data be provided on stateless persons in 2022 and 2023? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said a specific department dealt with issue of cybercrime and Albania had adopted a national action plan on cyber security. A unit had been established to investigate cybercrime, as well as child pornography. A safety package had been established for children. Security and safety officers had been appointed within schools, who cooperated with the Government to prevent phenomena of violence, drug use and trafficking. There had been many cases where these officers had intervened, and this had eliminated negative situations. Children were introduced to modules on cybercrime and teachers were being trained on these elements. Different regional conferences had been organised where women members of parliament pledged to be more active. Albania was aiming to remove the barriers and include as many women as possible in parliament. Women members of parliament continued to be active in Albania and were part of the Government structure. In 2018, 14.2 per cent of the police force was made up of women and 13.8 per cent of the armed forces were women. This had risen slightly over the years. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert said rural women faced the highest rates of unemployment in the country and only had eight or nine years of education. They dropped out of school for economic reasons, as well as disconnection and a lack of transport. Could information be provided on measures taken by the Government to provide access to primary and secondary education to young girls in rural areas? What measures was the State taking on the inclusion of rural women in various vocational training, including agriculture and livestock, to increase women’s access to markets? There had been little done to encourage women to participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; what was being done by the Government to improve access to both sexes, but particularly girls in this area? Another Expert said the Government of Albania had made strides in recent years to improve labour standards in the country and align them with European Union standards. The biggest problem facing women in Albania was unpaid work; 22 per cent of women in Albania’s labour force were unpaid workers in family businesses. According to sources, 87 per cent of rural women were unpaid workers. Could information be provided about the achievement of the national employment strategy? What measures would the State party take to reduce the unemployment gap among women and close the gender pay gap, particularly for rural women? What was being done to raise awareness of the rights of female workers under the Labour Code? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said the Ministry of Education had taken a series of measures to ensure the education of rural women and girls. All those who lived more than two kilometres from their school were provided with free transport. Improvements had been made to school infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. Social workers were the liaisons between the schools and communities. A new project had been introduced in Albanian schools which encouraged students to do homework after classes under the care of teachers. Parents were also invited to participate in this project. Albania guaranteed preschool education across the county, wherever children were located. Initiatives had been undertaken to incentivise the enrolment of girls in school and in vocational education, including the awarding of a half scholarship to every girl who enrolled. There had been an aggressive campaign to combat social structures which had impeded girls from enrolling in education. Another event was girls’ day, which aimed to raise awareness around vocational education. Regarding science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, a coding programme was in place dedicated to short term information technology courses. Inclusivity was a key objective of the Albanian education strategy and a specific subject called civics was in place relating to the topic of non-discrimination. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had four agencies for agriculture extension, which was facilitated through meetings and roundtables. Training was provided specifically for female farmers. There were 11 centres for vocational training, with one being a mobile centre to reach more remote areas. There had been a positive trend of women and girls in vocational training; 54 per cent of those currently benefitting from vocational training were women. Overall, there was a gap in the representation of women in the labour market compared to men. However, this gap was being narrowed. Mediation services were provided through the employment office and employment training programmes. The youth guarantee was also highly prioritised, meaning all those up to the age of 29 who had been unemployed for more than four months would enter a dedicated employment programme. The Albanian Constitution provided that there should be equal pay for equal work, and this was also set out in the Labour Code and the Law on Gender Equality. The Law on the Protection of Discrimination also provided protection in the domain of employment. Manufacturing was the sector with the highest pay gap. Efforts to narrow the pay gap were underway, and Albania was working alongside the State labour inspectorate to increase the transparency of wages in the workplace. The Government was also training inspectors of the State labour inspectorate and was working to allow them to identify gender pay gaps. Women in Albania bore the brunt compared to men when it came to unpaid work. This involved women with small children or those who were caregivers to elderly or disabled persons. A new programme was being implemented to provide social and health insurance for mothers with three or more children who could not be employed. In these cases, the State paid for their insurance contributions. Questions by Committee Experts MARIANNE MIKKO, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur for Albania, asked about access to school for children with disabilities? How was the wage gap in manufacturing mitigated? How widely was parental leave by fathers used? A Committee Expert asked if there was a programme in place to allow young people in the country to be more interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects? Another Expert said there were requirements of nine years of education to be enrolled in vocational training. Was there any flexibility, particularly for Roma women? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said science, technology, engineering and mathematics branches were offered in most universities in Albania, allowing students to undertake their education close to where they lived. When it came to pre-university education, schools had established a mediator figure who was supported by the State and worked with marginalised groups, particularly those from poor communities. These mediators worked with students from Roma communities to help them apply for scholarships and to give information on free school transport, among other things. Parental leave permitted three paid days when the baby was born, and then the father had the right to apply for parental leave. The paid leave lasted one year. It was compulsory for the mother to take 63 days with the baby, and then there was the option for the mother to leave parental leave and go back to work, while the father benefitted from paid parental leave. It was the mother’s choice. Regarding education for children with disabilities, psychologists provided recommendations on where to include these children, whether it be special schools or regular schools. Then parents had the opportunity to choose where to place their children. Specialised teachers were available for children with disabilities in regular schools. Special schools provided different services such as food, transport and physiotherapy. There were also special schools in place for children who were deaf or blind. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert recognised the importance of the health insurance fund and how it supported citizens for major disease treatments. However, maternal mortality rates remained high and the national cervical cancer screening programme had not been properly implemented. How many girls benefited from vaccinations? How effective had the campaign been? How was information about cervical cancer disseminated to all women? How would access to healthcare be provided to women and girls in all areas, including Roma-Egyptian women? How would access to contraception for women and girls be improved? How would Albania curb the alarmingly high rate of abortion among 16-year-old girls? The widening sex ratio at birth due to sex-selection abortions was the result of deep patriarchal gender stereotypes and was discriminatory against women. How would Albania tackle this serious issue, including through research, monitoring, legislation and policy at all levels? Would counselling and protection be provided to women victims of these practices? Another Expert asked how the Albanian Government would play a more active role in promoting environmental social governance and reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals? Albania was congratulated on recent legal amendments on social protection. How was the law being implemented and what were the benefits? How could support be provided to rural areas to help them benefit from loans and collateral? Was there an action plan to dismantle gender stereotypes in sport? Women football players were paid half the money paid to male players. How would the playing field be equalised? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said the national participation plan for Roma and Egyptian children aimed to improve overall access to health and social services for children from these communities. Primary health care was free of charge for the population of Albania. Elderly people were given special check-ups and screenings each year, with women benefitting the most from this. Measures had been undertaken to provide health care to Roma-Egyptian communities. There was an awareness campaign underway regarding family planning for this group. This included information about contraception and on how to live a healthy life. Many activities were being undertaken this month for breast cancer awareness, particularly to encourage further screening. Free mammograms were provided to women members of the police force. More than 15,000 girls had benefited from vaccines throughout the year. In pre-university education, there were sport profile classes for both boys and girls. The amount of physical education classes had also been increased. There were 100 health care centres in the primary health care service and by 2023 there would be another 100 centres with services provided by social workers and psychologists. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert commended Albania on progress made on strengthening the empowerment of rural women. Rural women faced barriers in employment, including a lack of transportation and childcare. What was being done to address these specific barriers? What measures were planned to increase women’s access to land rights? What measures had been taken to tackle the impact of climate change, with special attention paid to the vulnerability of rural women? How was the State party working to improve health care services, including reproduction services, to rural women? What measures would be taken to increase the availability of care for older women, particularly in rural areas? The Expert had visited Albania in 1999 at the height of the Kosovo crisis and would never forget the kindness the State had shown towards those refugees. Another Expert asked what was being done to secure access to justice to all women? Why was legal representation not provided to poor women throughout divorce proceedings? There had been complaints that courts did not properly handle cases involving domestic violence, especially when it came to children. Did the State party conduct a study on divorce proceedings pertaining to domestic violence? Were there protective places where violent fathers could see their children under supervision? The State party did not permit same sex marriage and did not recognise same sex cohabitation. Did Albania plan to correct any of these discriminations? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said over the past two years, a considerable number of women had come from Afghanistan and were being accommodated in Albania. They had been provided with healthcare, housing and food services, and were being educated, with lessons provided in their mother tongue. A number of Afghan refugees had been integrated in Albanian society and were self-employed or employed in local businesses. Special attention was paid to agriculture and produce fairs, and work was done to brand products, to enable them to be sold locally and abroad. Home assistant services were provided to persons with disabilities, including those in rural areas. There was a new structure regarding the provision of free legal aid through 20 centres across the country. A new law provided for the periodic monitoring of the centres. In the cases of divorce, women were assisted all the way to the end of the process. In cases of domestic violence, police officers analysed the level of risk and whether there was a need to take immediate protection measures. In some cases, the immediate removal of the perpetrator from the residence was ordered, and they were not allowed to return to the residence until a decision was made by the court. In Albania, there were cases of children from same sex couples, but the Family Code only recognised marriage between a man and a woman. There were recommendations to make changes to the Family Code. These were currently being reviewed, with the potential for changes to take place in the future. The rights of children from same sex couples were ensured and they enjoyed the same rights as any child in Albania. Questions by Committee Experts A Committee Expert asked about the notion of a “third age” law for older persons. Was that something Albania might contemplate? An Expert asked about the enforcement of child support and the children of prisoners? What was the correlation between custody decisions and violent fathers? Could a non-biological mother adopt the children of her spouse in a same sex relationship? Responses by the Delegation The delegation said there was a policy document about age which included the responsibilities of all line ministers at all stages of the life cycle. If experts believed that meetings with perpetrators of domestic violence hampered the rights of those under the legal guardianship of the perpetrator, this guardianship was lifted and revoked. Primary legal aid was provided free of charge to women victims of domestic violence. Secondary legal aid was provided by civil society organizations. Albania was working on a new law on reproductive health, which would reflect a series of new measures. Specific programmes were provided in primary health care centres on the topic of sexual and reproductive health. Free legal aid was provided in the case of divorce up to the end of the process. Around 170 lawyers in Albania provided free legal aid. Concluding Remarks DENADA SEFERI, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Albania and head of the delegation, said Albania was hugely committed to implementing the recommendations provided by the Committee. These would be applied to country-wide gender-based violence programmes and gender equality programmes going forwards. ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for the constructive dialogue with the Committee, which helped the Experts to better understand the situation of women and girls in Albania. The State party was commended on its efforts and encouraged to implement all the recommendations provided by the Committee. Link: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/meeting-summary/2023/10/experts-committee-elimination-discrimination-against-women-4 ___________ Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.