Albania is a safe country, and there is no case for routinely offering asylum to Albanian claimants, the UK Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee has found, but those who work with refugees and asylum seekers say crucial evidence was ignored.
In 2022, more than a quarter of the 45,755 people who crossed the Channel in small boats came from Albania, and most claimed asylum. Historically, over half of asylum claims from Albanians were approved, with the number increasing further upon appeal.
But the committee said it found little evidence to suggest applicants are at significant risk in their own country as it is not at war and is a candidate country to join the EU.
“Economic development is the long-term solution to Albania’s emigration crisis, and the UK Government should do what it can to aid that, including the recent and welcome doubling of potential foreign investment there,” the report states.
However, MPs noted there were “unquestionably cases of Albanian citizens being trafficked to the UK.” In response, they said appropriate safeguards must be put in place to ensure that any victims returned to Albania are supported.
They also proposed the government create seasonal work visas in agriculture and construction to give more Albanians a chance to work in the UK without having to cross The Channel in a small boat.
David Neale, a legal researcher with expertise in Albanian migration who provided evidence to the committee, said the report was “very disappointing” and ignored his evidence that many Albanians were fleeing to escape a cycle of revenge that can pit families against each other over generations.
“Contrary to the committee’s assertion, Albania is far from a ‘safe country’, as I made clear in my written evidence. One of the major causes of Albanians fleeing Albania is blood feud. Existing country guidance case law makes clear that the Albanian state does not generally provide adequate protection for victims of blood feud, and it is clear in my view that the evidence relied on by the Home Office is insufficient to justify departing from this.”
Daniel Sohege, director of Stand For All and a specialist in international refugee law, said that being at war is not a necessary factor in people seeking asylum, adding there are numerous reasons why people seek protection.
“This report shows once again how little MPs understand the reality of trafficking, particularly facing men and boys. Albania has been shown to be unsafe for many multiple times, including with official complicity in trafficking,” he wrote on Twitter.
Anti-trafficking campaigner Lauren Starkey added, “Albania is not a dangerous country for everyone, but it’s not a safe country for everyone either. It is simply wrong to suggest otherwise.”
She said that “Albania is not at war. This is true. But it does face a raft of complex social, political, economic and historical issues which can lead to enormous risk for some citizens. Trafficking, blood feuds, domestic violence, and discrimination towards minority groups all exist in Albania.”
She also noted that trafficking does not just impact women. Rather, it affects men and boys at a higher level.
“Men and women both suffer enormous trauma through trafficking, and both deserve protection and recovery. Men are just as terrified by the prospect of being returned to their traffickers as women are, and their trauma is no less valid,” she said.
Blood feuds are routinely denied by the authorities in Tirana, but there are believed to be between 200 and 1,600 families living with the shadow of blood feuds hanging over them. The phenomenon was even confirmed by the multiple stakeholders who were interviewed for a British government report conducted in 2022 and 2023, but yet were ignored in the MPs conclusions.
There have been reported blood feud-linked killings throughout 2022 and 2023.
As for those trafficked to the UK, particularly women, if returned to Albania, they are at high risk of being trafficked or completely cut off by their families.
Other reasons for seeking asylum include domestic violence, stigma against the LGBTQ community, and pressure from criminal gangs.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
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