Albania Woman

As a result of liberal maternity leave laws introduced to benefit women, some employers have found it advantageous to hire men instead. The law requires civil service recruiters to explain in writing their motives for hiring or promoting a man rather than a woman as a manager. The rule applies in offices where women managers number less than a third of the total. A 2002 study indicated that women constituted 51 percent of civil servants, but only 24 percent had high-level assignments. ... [Read More]

USIS Washington File: TRANSCRIPT: WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING ON KOSOVO REFUGEE AID

They are tough people who have done this around the world and who know how to do it. The woman who is leading the DART team in Macedonia is a smoke jumper from Boise; the DART team leader in Albania is Bill Garver Lincoln, an old pro at this sort of thing. We work very closely with the PRM folks from the Department of State and with Mike McDuffie and his folks in the military and with the rest of the international community. ... [Read More]

Greece

Police abused Roma more frequently than some other groups. There were frequent police raids on Roma settlements and harsh police treatment of Roma in the Aspropyrgos settlement. Authorities did not take action in the January 2002 case of a police officer allegedly kicking a pregnant woman, who later miscarried, during a raid on the Aspropyrgos Roma camp. ...

There were 25 women members in the 300-seat Parliament. There was 1 woman among the 19 ministers in the Government and women held 2 of the 28 subministerial positions. A quota system requires 30 percent of all local government candidates to be women. ... [Read More]

Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Albania

The February killing of a 21-year old young woman by her father for alleged tardiness and the father's subsequent sentence of fewer than 2 years' imprisonment received much attention from the media and the NGO community; however, the case was not appealed. ...

There were 9 women in the 140-seat Parliament. There was only one woman in the Cabinet, the Minister of Integration. The major political parties had women's organizations, and women served on their central committees; however, overall, women were very poorly represented in the central and local governments, and few were elected to public office at any level. During the 2003 municipal government elections, fewer than 3 percent of all candidates were women. ... [Read More]

United States Humanitarian Demining Programs in Europe

The U.S. Government’s Humanitarian Demining Program seeks to relieve human suffering while promoting U.S. interests. The Program’s objectives are to establish and support sustainable indigenous demining programs, reduce civilian casualties, create conditions for the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes, reinforce an affected country’s stability, and encourage international cooperation and participation. The Program seeks to accomplish these objectives by helping to establish and support sustainable indigenous mine action capabilities in mine-affected nations. Since FY 1993, the United States has committed almost $500 million to global mine action initiatives, including research and development. Out of the 26 countries in Europe reported to have landmine problems, the United States is providing assistance to nine of those countries and the province of Kosovo. These countries are Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegov ... [Read More]

Albania

Prison conditions remained poor and overcrowding remained a serious problem. Lack of space in prisons led to the detention of convicted criminals in pretrial detention centers rather than prisons, causing significant security problems for the police forces. For example, the AHC cited a case at the Lushnje police station when a detainee, who was to be transferred to prison, escaped; the AHC claims that the case is not an isolated incident and that by maintaining this practice, the Government violated the law on Executing Penal Decisions. One of the AHC's fact-finding missions found that 299 inmates were being held in police pretrial detention sites rather than serving their terms in prisons. In police detention centers, woman often were held with men; however, women are not held with men in prisons. ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

The only pre-school in English language remains to be Tirana Unity and Diversity Preshool. Pre-school is private run by a German woman and staffed with additional two employees.  The class size is 12–15 students and age of children varies from 3 to 5 years. The cost for the pre-school per month is $200.00 ... [Read More]

Albania

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion and the Government generally respected this right in practice. According to the Constitution, there is no official religion, and all religions are equal; however, the predominant religious communities (Sunni, Bektashi, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic) enjoy de facto recognition that gives them the legal right to hold bank accounts, own property and buildings, and to function as legal entities based on their historical presence in the country. Religious movements--with the exception of the four de facto recognized religions--may acquire the official status of a legal entity by registering under the Law on Associations, which recognizes the status of a nonprofit association irrespective of whether the organization has a cultural, recreational, religious, or humanitarian character. While the Government does not require registration or licensing of religious groups, the State Committee on Cult ... [Read More]

Albania

The Government did not restrict access to the Internet; however, less than 1 percent of the population had access to the Internet because it was too expensive. The Government did not restrict academic freedom. b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association The Constitution provides for freedom of assembly, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. The law requires organizers to notify police about gatherings in public places, and the police may refuse to permit them for reasons such as security and traffic; however, there were no reports that such denials were made arbitrarily. On May 15 and 26, former political prisoners and victims of political persecution staged a formal protest on Tirana's main boulevard, se ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

Equatorial Guinea is a transit and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation, involuntary domestic servitude, and other forced labor. Women and children are trafficked to Equatorial Guinea from West and Central Africa, principally Cameroon, Nigeria, and Benin. Women are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation in Malabo, where demand is high due to the booming oil sector. Cameroonian and Beninese children are trafficked to Malabo for exploitation as street and market hawkers; Nigerian boys are trafficked to Rio Muni (the mainland) for exploitation as agricultural workers. The Government of Equatorial Guinea does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Over the past year the government has made a number of efforts that attest ... [Read More]