Cherie Blair on trafficking and domestic violence in Albania

TIRANA, July 8 – Cherie Blair, patron of the international
anti-trafficking organisation “Stop the Traffik” and wife of the
former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, took part Thursday at a
roundtable discussion hosted by the British Embassy with
representatives of Albanian NGOs working on human trafficking and domestic violence issues.
Albania remains a source country for trafficking despite attempts by the government to tackle this problem, and women remain very vulnerable. Children in care are also vulnerable as they are required to leave care homes at the age of 15, with no provision for their protection until they reach their majority.
The roundtable also discussed domestic violence, a serious and
widespread problem in Albania, and one which is linked to trafficking as victims often find themselves without means of support and are very vulnerable to traffickers.
Blair said: “It is a sad fact that the trafficking of girls is now a
crime that touches almost every country in the world, so I was very encouraged today to learn about the measures Albania is taking to try to address what is a modern form of human slavery.
It is important not to despair at the scale of what is happening round the world, but to believe that action can make a difference, as I believe it is beginning to do here in Albania because of the efforts of the people I met today.”
Albania has only 13 women’s shelters, nine of which are entirely
reliant on charitable donations and NGOs for funding.
Blair met with the country’s senior officials, while her husband Tony
Blair was paying a visit to neighboring Kosovo.