Albanian Woman Is First Trafficking Victim Admitted as U.S. Refugee
USAID Seeks New Ways to Protect
Victims of Trafficking
FrontLines - May 2009
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After visiting the women in the Vatra Shelter, art students were
encouraged to express their feelings on trafficking through painting.
Paintings, such as this one with captive doves, depict their empathy
with the victim showing turmoil, fear, pain, and loneliness. Since 2003,
USAID has supported anti-trafficking programs.
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Growing up, “M” (her real
name is withheld for her safety)
wanted what we all want—love,
respect, and opportunity. She
lived with her family in a small
town in Albania and was preparing
to start high school. But
when she was 14 years old,
instead of joining her classmates,
an acquaintance of the
family smuggled her into the
European Union (EU) and
forced her into prostitution.
Over the next six years, she
tried repeatedly to get away
from her traffickers, was kidnapped
by a rival crime group,
was attacked and almost killed
by one of her traffickers, and
deported back to Albania twice
without EU or Albanian authorities
realizing she was a minor
being trafficked for sexual
exploitation.
Fearing reprisal from her traffickers,
she did not tell anyone
what was happening.
Just after she turned 21, she
was deported back to Albania
again. But this time she found
the courage to tell the Albanian
authorities that she had been living
in fear for the last six years,
denounced her traffickers, and
was put into the protective custody
of a secure shelter for
returned victims of trafficking.
The shelter was supported by
USAID and other international
donors.
Only one of her traffickers
was prosecuted and sentenced to
jail time. Worse yet, to this day,
one of the traffickers continues
to live in the same small town
where she grew up and where
her family still lives. This situation
directly threatened “M’s”
safety. After trying for over three
years to improve security so
“M” could restart her life in
Albania, staff at her secure shelter
began to explore reintegration
options outside Albania. |
This picture hangs at the entrance of the Vatra Shelter, the first
shelter in Albania to house returned victims of trafficking.
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Directors of the four NGO shelters in Albania sign a Memorandum
of Understanding that formalizes cooperation between the shelters.
Left to right: Arian Cala, executive director, Another Vision;
Fatbardha Idrizi, executive director, Gjirokaster Community
Center; Vera Lesko, executive director, Vatra Psycho-Social Center;
and Marjana Meshi, executive director, Different and Equal Shelter.
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The Vatra Psycho-social Center in Vlora is a grantee of the Albania Initiative: Coordinated Action Against Human Trafficking program, funded by USAID and implemented by Creative Associates. Click to view video.
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For two years, shelter staff
applied for her protection in surrounding
EU countries, targeting
first the countries where she had
been exploited.
Seen as a criminal for violating
immigration laws rather than a
victim of trafficking, her request
for asylum was turned down.
Because of the barriers with
EU countries, the shelter, the
International Organization for
Migration, and USAID’s antitrafficking
advisor in Albania,
Kelly Cronen, decided to seek
refugee protection in the United
States.
In March 2008, the U.S.
Embassy in Tirana submitted a
refugee referral to the Department
of State, asking that “M” be
granted protection as a victim of
trafficking who faced grave security
risks in her country of origin.
Visas for victims of trafficking
began to be issued under the
Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.
These visas are available only to
persons who have been trafficked
to and exploited in the
United States, and who are willing
to report the crimes to federal
authorities. Applications
from outside the United States
are rare and accepted only on a
case by case basis for extreme
situations; there are no formal
protection mechanisms for victims
who live and were
exploited outside the U.S.
In mid-2008, immigration
authorities went to Albania to
interview “M” and U.S.
Embassy officials about the refugee
application. By August
2008, the U.S. government
granted her refugee status and
permanent residency in the United States. The U.S. government
helped her find a supportive
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Above the outlines of Albania and Italy, a
student’s poster reads
“Stop trafficking of human beings.” Although there have been
strides in reducing the number of women trafficked to Italy, the
European Union remains a key destination for many victims of
trafficking. Once identified, these women are often deported
back to Albania before their security situation is properly
analyzed, which complicates the reintegration process.
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resettlement community and
provided her with a modest stipend
for her first eight months in
the U.S. When she meets
requirements, “M” will be eligible
for U.S. citizenship.
In the fall of 2008, “M” left
the shelter to begin her new life
in the United States. She plans
to get her high school diploma
and wants to try to go to college
to become a social worker.
“I called her the day after her
departure to make sure she
arrived in the U.S. safely,” said
Cronen. “Her first words spoken
in the U.S. to the customs officials
were: ‘I am out, I am out.’”
After eleven long years, she
was finally safe.
★
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