Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Establish appropriate safeguards for trafficked Albanian citizens prior to any return to Albania.
Conclusion
While claims for political asylum should not normally be entertained, there are unquestionably cases of Albanian citizens being trafficked to the UK, from within Albania or from within other European countries, where appropriate safeguards must be in place before they are returned to Albania. (Paragraph 2) UK asylum system
Government Response Summary
The government commits to supporting Albanian structures to bolster victim referral mechanisms, investing in additional protection services, and supporting investigations into trafficking. Specific actions include funding primary service providers for reintegration support, providing mental health counselling, and a feasibility study for an emergency multifunctional centre.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
In December 2022, the UK and Albanian Prime Ministers signed the Joint Communique to enhance bilateral cooperation between their two countries which ensured there would be appropriate support for victims of trafficking in Albania. To ensure that both Albania and the UK continue to meet their international and bilateral obligations to support Victims of Trafficking, the UK commits to: • support the relevant Albanian structures to bolster mechanisms used to refer victims for appropriate support and increase the existing Albanian Responsible Authority and National Referral Mechanism (NRM) capacity to reinforce processes and decision-making in line with ECAT. • provide investment in additional protection services, taking into consideration the specific gender aspects of those migrating illegally to United Kingdom. • provide support to Albania on investigating trafficking in accordance with the obligation under Article 4 ECHR. The Albanian Government in return assures that it will continue to implement effectively the joint commitments in the framework of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) with regard to the treatment of the returnees, the prevention and future identification of trafficking of victims, and taking into consideration the gender specifics of the returnees. Examples of some of the work taking place in Albania to protect victims includes: • The Albanian Ministry of Interior are leading the reform of the National Referral Mechanism and Responsible Authority. • Funding of three primary service providers to provide comprehensive reintegration support to up to 240 individuals between Jan 2023 and March 2025. This includes identified victims of any gender or age, including returnees from overseas who wish to access support. • Provision of web-based mental health and psychological counselling services to approximately 1000 individuals a year. • Supporting Albania’s capacity to investigate human trafficking. • A feasibility study for an emergency multifunctional centre in the north of the country, which will include services available to male and female victims, including those returning from overseas. The ongoing work in-country to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking and provide protection and reintegration services for victims and potential victims has now been reflected in the Country Policy and Information Guidance. UK Asylum System