The Gender Equality Bill has sparked debates accompanied by disinformation narratives, while civil society organizations and activists emphasize its importance for the fight against discrimination and stereotypes.
Civil society organizations have strongly supported the implementation of the draft law "On Gender Equality in Albania", and in particular the use of the term "gender" instead of the classic terms "man-woman".
Human rights activists consider this draft law a necessary step towards European standards, calling it an instrument against discrimination and stereotypes.
"The use of the term 'gender' is aligned with the European Union acquis, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Istanbul Convention, ensuring that Albania walks hand in hand with the most progressive European countries," states the "Gender Alliance for Development" center.
The primary purpose of this draft law is to ensure the right of every individual to gender equality and effective protection from discrimination on the basis of gender in both public and private life.
It also aims to determine the authorities responsible for promoting gender equality and their duties for implementing this equality, specifically the ministry responsible for gender equality issues, in cooperation with the Parliament of Albania, the Council of Ministers, as well as other independent institutions in the country.
Ines Leskaj, executive director of the Women's Empowerment Network in Albania, told BIRN that this law is a need for our country and society.
"We have been lobbying for this law for years because of the problems that the violence law alone did not cover," Leskaj told BIRN.
However, for several days, disinformation narratives supported by actors defending the traditional family, who have misinterpreted the legal framework of this initiative, have been circulating in some media outlets and online portals.
According to Leskaj, this wave of disinformation is a deliberate narrative and should be avoided. She emphasized that manipulative narratives are circulating that treat the law as if it suggests different types of gender.
"It must be made clear to the public that this is a deliberate disinformation strategy. It must be explained that the law simply aims to advance gender equality," added the director of the Women's Empowerment Network.
Xheni Karaj, a human rights and LGBTI community activist, also emphasizes that the wave of misinformation regarding this draft law needs to be clarified.
"The content of the draft law does not invent new genders. The concept of multiple 'gender' does not exist in this draft law and is not a legal concept," Karaj writes in her official response.
"The definition of gender only aims to protect citizens from discrimination on the basis of gender, regardless of any of their personal characteristics," Karaj concluded.
