On Thursday, September 25, 2025, a National Discussion Forum on “The Status and Rights of Victims of Human Trafficking” was held in Tirana. The forum provided a unique opportunity for colleagues from Albania to present innovative activities and the results of several months of work on analyzing judicial practice in cases of human trafficking and related criminal offenses.
The participants were first welcomed by the Director of VATRA, Ms. Brikena Puka, who underlined the importance of regional cooperation:
“Over the past 15 months, together with our partners from Serbia and North Macedonia, we have been working on a very important issue – improving the status and rights of victims of human trafficking in criminal proceedings. We shared dilemmas, challenges, good practices, and, most importantly, we strengthened our cooperation.”
Ms. Anila Salianji, speaking on behalf of the Institute for Democracy and Mediation, a partner of the SMART BALKANS program, also addressed the audience:
“Strengthening the role of civil society has been one of the primary goals of the Smart Balkans program from the very beginning. This example of regional civil society cooperation is clear proof of the program’s success.”
The presentation of the results of the Judicial Practice Analysis was attended by more than 20 representatives of the judiciary, social protection system, and service providers, who actively contributed to the quality of the discussion.
This forum was the third and final in a series, following those held in Skopje and Belgrade. It marked the concluding activity of the regional project “Smart Balkans – Civil Society for a Connected Society in the Western Balkans,” implemented by the Center for the Promotion of Civil Society from Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with two partner organizations, and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.