Domestic Violence in Albania: Law Exists but Police Don't Enforce It

Last updated: 15 October 2026

Photo: Albania - UN Women

Domestic violence in Albania is a crisis that affects more than half of all women in the country. According to the most comprehensive national survey, 52.9% of Albanian women have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. The law against domestic violence exists. Law 9669 of 2006 provides for protection orders and criminalises family violence. However, the police do not enforce it. Courts are slow. Shelters are almost nonexistent. This article examines the scale of Albania domestic violence, the legal framework, and the gap between law and practice. For expert witnesses and asylum decision-makers, this evidence is critical when assessing claims from Albanian women.

The report draws on evidence from INSTAT (Albania's national statistics agency), the Council of Europe's GREVIO monitoring body, the US Department of State, and Albanian NGOs. It covers the period through early 2026.

The Scale of Albania Domestic Violence

The numbers are shocking. In 2019, INSTAT published the results of a national survey on violence against women and girls. The survey found that 52.9% of Albanian women aged 18-74 had experienced at least one form of domestic violence in their lifetime. This includes physical, sexual, emotional, and economic violence. Furthermore, 36.6% of women said they had experienced violence in the past 12 months. These figures are among the highest in Europe.[1]

Physical violence is the most commonly reported form. Around 24% of women reported physical violence by a partner or former partner. Sexual violence by a partner was reported by 8% of women. Emotional and psychological violence was reported by 44% of women. Economic violence, where a man controls his partner's money and financial decisions, was reported by 19% of women.

These numbers likely understate the real situation. Many women in Albania do not report violence. They are afraid. They are ashamed. They believe it is normal. In rural areas especially, domestic violence is often seen as a private family matter. Women who speak out risk being rejected by their families and communities. As a result, the true rate of domestic violence is probably even higher than the survey suggests.[2]

Legal Framework: Law 9669 and Criminal Code Article 130

Albania has a legal framework to address domestic violence. The main law is Law 9669 of 2006, titled "On Measures Against Violence in Family Relations." This law was an important step forward when it was passed. It defines domestic violence broadly. It covers physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violence. It applies to spouses, former spouses, partners, and other family members.[3]

Protection Orders

Law 9669 allows victims to apply to court for two types of orders. A protection order can require the abuser to stay away from the victim, leave the family home, and stop all contact. It lasts up to 12 months and can be renewed. An emergency protection order (EPO) can be issued quickly, within 24-48 hours, when there is an immediate danger. Police can also request an EPO on behalf of a victim.

In theory, these orders should protect women. In practice, they often do not. Many women do not know they can apply for a protection order. Courts are slow to issue them. Once issued, protection orders are often not enforced. The police do not monitor whether the abuser is following the order. If the abuser violates the order, there are few consequences. The maximum penalty for violating a protection order is low, and prosecution is rare.

Criminal Code Article 130

Article 130 of the Albanian Criminal Code makes domestic violence a criminal offence. It was amended in 2012 to increase penalties. The current maximum sentence is five years' imprisonment. However, in practice, most domestic violence cases do not reach trial. When they do, sentences are usually short or suspended. This means the abuser does not go to prison. The victim stays at risk.[4]

The Enforcement Gap: Why the Law Does Not Protect Women

The biggest problem with Albania domestic violence is not the law itself. It is the failure to enforce it. There is a wide gap between what the law says and what actually happens. This gap exists at every level: the police, the courts, and government services.

Police Response

When a woman reports domestic violence to the Albanian police, several things typically happen. First, the police may try to discourage her from filing a complaint. Officers often tell women that domestic violence is a "family matter." They suggest that the woman should go home and talk to her husband. They may tell her to think about her children. In some cases, police contact the abuser and try to arrange a "reconciliation" instead of filing charges.[5]

Even when police do take a report, the investigation is often minimal. Officers may not collect evidence properly. They may not photograph injuries. They may not take witness statements. This makes it harder to prosecute the case later. Police training on domestic violence exists, but it is not enough. Many officers still hold traditional views about gender roles and believe that a husband has a right to "discipline" his wife.

Court Failures

Courts in Albania also fail domestic violence victims. Protection order hearings are sometimes delayed. When orders are issued, they are often not enforced. Criminal cases take a long time to reach trial. The judicial vetting process, which removed many corrupt judges, also created a shortage of judges. This means that all cases, including domestic violence cases, take longer. Some domestic violence cases are dismissed because the victim withdraws her complaint, often under pressure from the abuser or from family members.

Shelters: Not Nearly Enough

Albania has very few shelters for domestic violence victims. There are approximately 200 shelter places in the entire country. For a population of 2.8 million people, this is far below the Council of Europe recommended standard of one shelter place per 10,000 people (which would mean 280 places). The shelters that exist are mostly run by NGOs. They receive some government funding, but it is not enough. Many shelters struggle to stay open. Some have waiting lists. Women in rural areas often have no access to any shelter at all.[6]

Common Case Patterns in Albania Domestic Violence

When expert witnesses assess Albanian domestic violence cases, certain patterns appear again and again. Understanding these patterns helps asylum decision-makers evaluate the credibility and seriousness of claims.

Pattern 1: Report, reconcile, repeat. A woman reports violence to the police. The police or family members pressure her to reconcile. She goes back. The violence continues. She reports again. The same thing happens. This cycle can repeat many times. Each time, the violence often gets worse.

Pattern 2: Protection order ignored. A woman gets a protection order from the court. Her husband ignores it. He continues to come to the home. He threatens her. The police do not enforce the order. The woman has no real protection despite holding a court order.

Pattern 3: Nowhere to go. A woman wants to leave her abuser. However, she has no income. She has no job. Her family will not take her back. Shelters are full or too far away. She has children who need care. She stays because she has no other option.[7]

Pattern 4: Family pressure. A woman leaves her husband and goes to her parents' home. Her parents tell her to go back to her husband. They say divorce is shameful. They say she must endure for the sake of the children. In some cases, the woman's own family threatens her if she does not return.

In Albania, seeking help from the police, the judiciary and support services is often not a viable option for women victims of violence. The response of law enforcement authorities to domestic violence remains inadequate and is characterised by attitudes that minimise the severity of the violence.

GREVIO, Baseline Evaluation Report on Albania, Council of Europe, 2017

Economic Barriers: Why Women Cannot Leave

Economic dependence is one of the biggest reasons why Albanian women stay with abusive partners. Albania has one of the highest rates of female economic inactivity in Europe. Many women, especially in rural areas, do not work outside the home. They have no income. They own no property. Everything is in their husband's name. If they leave, they have nothing.[8]

Albanian law gives women equal property rights. However, in practice, property is usually registered in the man's name. Inheritance also favours men in many families, following traditional customs rather than the law. A woman who leaves her husband may have no legal claim to the family home. She may not be able to rent a home because she has no income. She cannot support her children. These economic realities trap women in violent relationships.

Employment opportunities for women in Albania are limited. The gender pay gap is significant. Women with low education levels, which is common in rural areas, have very few job options. Without employment, a woman cannot achieve independence from her abuser. Government support programs for domestic violence survivors exist in theory. In practice, they are underfunded and reach very few women. For more on women's rights issues in the Western Balkans, see our human rights section.

Internal Relocation: Not Viable for Most Women

Albania is a small country. It covers only 28,748 square kilometres. The population is about 2.8 million. Everyone knows everyone. Family networks are strong and spread across the whole country. For a domestic violence victim, moving to another city does not guarantee safety. The abuser can find her. His family can find her. In a country this small, hiding is extremely difficult.[9]

Additionally, a woman who relocates faces serious practical problems. She needs housing, employment, childcare, and social support. Without family connections in a new city, she has none of these things. Albania does not have a national system to help domestic violence victims relocate. There are no government-funded safe houses outside the few NGO shelters that already exist. Internal relocation puts the burden on the victim. It does not address the failure of the state to protect her.

Implications for Asylum Claims

Albanian women who flee domestic violence may have valid asylum claims. The legal basis is persecution by a non-state actor (the abusive partner or family) where the state is unable or unwilling to provide protection. The evidence presented in this report shows that the Albanian state fails to protect domestic violence victims at every level: police, courts, and social services.[10]

The relevant Refugee Convention ground is typically "membership of a particular social group." Women in Albania who are victims of domestic violence and cannot get state protection form a particular social group. They share a characteristic (gender) that they cannot change. They face persecution (violence) from which the state does not protect them. Additionally, Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights prohibits return to a country where there is a real risk of inhuman or degrading treatment.

Key UK case law has addressed Albanian domestic violence cases. The Home Office Country Policy and Information Notes on Albania acknowledge the problem of domestic violence. However, they sometimes suggest that state protection is "in general" available. The evidence in this report contradicts that assessment. For many Albanian women, state protection is not available in practice. For expert evidence on Albanian DV cases, consult a Western Balkans expert witness.

Domestic violence claims turn on police enforcement in practice, which our Albania country expert witness reports examine for the individual woman, including the option of internal relocation.

Conclusion

Albania domestic violence is a human rights crisis. More than half of all Albanian women have experienced violence. The law exists, but the police do not enforce it. Courts are slow and ineffective. Shelters are almost nonexistent. Economic barriers trap women in violent relationships. Internal relocation is not viable for most women. The Albanian state has failed to protect its female citizens from domestic violence despite having the legal tools to do so.

For asylum decision-makers and expert witnesses, the message is clear. Albania's legal framework against domestic violence looks good on paper. However, the gap between law and practice is enormous. Albanian women who report violence are routinely failed by the police, the courts, and the social services. Returning a domestic violence victim to Albania without careful assessment of the risks puts her in real danger. Each claim must be considered on its individual facts, but the systemic failures documented in this report mean that many Albanian women do face a real risk of serious harm upon return.