To date, the Protection Order for many women in Albania has often remained a worthless piece of paper, unable to stop the abuser from returning home. The new legal amendments, now filed in the Parliament, aim to radically change this reality, by establishing concrete monitoring measures and strengthening the protection of victims of violence.
In high-risk cases, the law requires the perpetrator to be fitted with an electronic GPS monitoring device, placed on the victim's leg. This device will immediately notify the police if the perpetrator breaches the court-determined distance and approaches the victim.
One of the most significant changes is the ban on reconciliation. In practice, many women have withdrawn from reporting abuse due to family or social pressure, often with the excuse “for the sake of the children.” With the new law, even if the victim declares that she has reconciled with the abuser, the judge cannot close the case. The process will continue until the end and the protection order will be issued anyway.
The law also clearly defines the cases when the abuser must be immediately removed from the apartment, removing any opportunity for him to stay in the same space as the victim.
Violence will no longer be considered only physical. The new changes also include online blackmail, stalking, and the distribution of intimate images without consent. In these cases, AKEP and AMA will have the legal obligation to delete or block the content within 12 hours. Failure to comply will be accompanied by heavy fines, up to 500 thousand lek for each day of delay.
Even the workplace will no longer be a gray area for safety. Employers are required to create protective mechanisms for employees. If a manager or colleague engages in violence or harassment, the company has only 5 days to react. Otherwise, it risks fines of up to 50 times the minimum wage.
The legal changes are directly related to the European integration process and aim to expand the map of protection from violence, not only within the family, but throughout society, including new forms of violence that are increasing with the development of technology.
By Esiona Konomi. Report TV
