The Truth behind Gender Violence in Albania - Essay Sample

Introduction

Albania is one of the smallest countries in the world, with a struggling economy full of the unemployed population mainly in rural areas. Retrogressive traditions that undermine women rights in the society, motivated by the high rate of unemployment has been among the reasons women's rights are violated, and the society assumes it to be the way of life. Gender violence in Albania has been an issue affecting the economy of the country and the social life of its people at large. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the issue of gender violations against women in Albania, the lack of suitable laws addressing gender violence and obligations of Albania as a member state to the UN concerning human rights among others.

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Violence against women in Albania has been perpetrated since time immemorial in the 1980s. Culminated by the retrogressive laws and traditions, Albania has degraded the dignity of its women for a long time (Vokshi and Rystemaj 8). Their isolation from the outside world and use of the outdated rule of laws has affected its people and impacted on its economy severely. Albania, a country in Eastern Europe, struggles to diversify its societal traditions that date back to over 1000 years. In those olden days, women were treated as lesser humans as they had no rights whatsoever. This punitive and retrogressive believes of undermining women, were supported and stressed into the livelihood of the Albanian people by the leadership in place at the time. Albania has been under the leadership of the Albanian party of labor and the communist party for a long time which suppressed its people by the inhuman and retrogressive laws in place. It has been a disgraceful situation treating fellow humans as objects for use and ignoring their needs and natural rights to live freely and peacefully.

The practice of undermining women in Albania has led to slow economic development, and this has contributed profoundly to its high poverty levels (Kllogiri 90). In 1992, the party in government accepted and delegated power to the democratically elected parliament, which has since worked out means to change laws in the country for the better. Violence between individuals or in a family setup especially against women is caused by social relations and depends on the motives of individual involved and the culture of society they were rained in. Laws of a country can invigorate the violence against gender in a state if the culprits are not apprehended and held responsible. In this regard, gender violence against women can be mitigated by laws that recognize the rights to live and the right to freedom of every living person within its jurisdictions.

There are many reasons that can cause gender violence; they include social factors, traditional believes, male chauvinism, and economic factors such as family financial stability among others. Historically male chauvinism has led to the belief that women are the weaker sex. They believe that men should be the head of the family, stemming from unwritten religious laws, also contribute to violence against women as the men seek to have control of their families (Vokshi and Rystemaj 9). This has led most male violence perpetrators to abuse both their wives and children as they seek to feel like the heads of the family. Domestic violence in Albania has mainly been aggravated by its retrogressive culture and a high rate of unemployment. These traditions motivate men to abuse their wives emotionally and physically. In this regard, the Albanian people are believed to have a backwardness attitude towards its women.

Believes in the Albanian society referred to as the Kanun, are the unwritten set of laws that govern the community in its daily lives' activities. Violence perpetrators in the Albania society use it as a basis in violating its women. In this set of beliefs, men have the right to punish their wives whenever they disobey them. This has undervalued women and has immensely contributed to the violence against women in society. Unemployment and isolation of Albania from the communist has also added to the culture where domestic violence is considered a way of life (Malley, Kathleen, and Denise 121). The submissive nature of women as dictated by retrogressive cultural beliefs has played a vital role in increasing the violence against women in society. Division of labor as stated in the Kanun gives women duties and responsibilities in the family setup as the helpers and not with any right to defend or speak for themselves. Gender violence against women can be caused by many reasons as stated above among others. In this regard, it is the responsibility of the leaders at all levels to ensure there are laws protecting women and every individual in the society in providing peaceful coexistence between the family members.

Domestic violence is an act that is ever happening within the circle of our society. However, these acts of degrading one's dignity are never reported to the responsible government bodies (Kllogiri 91). This is because of the fear of victimization that may haunt the victims as well as the repercussions that reporting may come with. For example, a gender violence victim in Albania may avoid reporting a violent treatment toward them, in fear of the public opinion given the historical background of women violence in the country. The fear of shaming in society causes a victim to be silent about abuse in their marriages. One may feel the need to hold onto their violent partner in awe of the society tagging them names including home wreckers among others. Women have not yet felt free to express their misfortunes in family relating to gender violence since time immemorial.

Pregnant women in Albania suffer most in gender violence as most of these acts are perpetrated which illustrates the depth of gender violence in Albania society. It has been observed from the archives, women giving birth to babies with defects as a result of physical abuse from their partners. In some cases, they undergo premature labor pains (Buzawa, Eva, Carl, and Evan 81). Psychologists get to attend to violent gender victims that have reached a point of no return to the extent their mental health is affected severely. Such cases can be found in the archives as professional health practitioners witness them. Teachers at schools can easily notice effects of domestic-based violence as the children may be adversely affected and suffer from mental trauma. These children are not able to concentrate on schools, and they feel safer at school than at home, hence spending extra hours after school hours avoiding their chaotic homes. Other examples may include reported cases by the neighbors as they witnessed or heard from afar the screaming voices by their neighbors. In this regard, it is prudent to increase awareness of gender violence and educate the public on the importance of sharing or reporting any violent gender occurrence to the respective organizations.

The poor legal framework in Albania has been a major cause of gender violence in the country. Since the electorate turned down the proposed constitution by the then president Sali Berisha in November 1994, the country has been relying on the penal code implemented on June 1st, 1995. The Penal code states many lengthy sentences on any torture or injury caused by the intention to harm someone. The penal code varies the period of jail terms depending on the weight of the criminal offense. Any threats, battery actions or other forms of harming others is stated categorically and penalized as per the code. The justice system in Albania does not provide for victims' compensation (Bogdani, Mirela, and John 57). Any reported domestic violence case goes mostly unattended, and the victims encouraged to drop the charges. This among other factors has contributed to the lack of reporting gender violence to the relevant authorities. In Albania like most countries an assaulted woman gets to the police first before any other legal consideration. The police have proven reluctant in responding to such cases thus making it harder for the victims to pursue justice.

The United Nations organization is composed of many member states, and as a member, Albania is expected to observe the international laws protecting human rights. This is an obligation that must be fulfilled if Albania is to benefit from international relations and trade fares. The international laws outlaws gender violence of any form or nature. The Albanian government finds itself with no other option but to comply with international laws, failure to which they face sanctions on international trade fares (Bogdani, Mirela, and John 57). In this regard, the UN found it fit to put in place measures that protect women against violation of their rights and ensure international human rights are observed in all member states hence providing a peaceful existence.

Conclusion

Considering the historical background of Albania, it has been a tough journey for the women in that country, having to go through punitive practices due to lack of relevant laws. As shown by the cases reported on women violence, it is against human rights for one to live under any form of abuse. Given the lack of an operational constitution in Albania, it is critical for the international community to ensure all member states of the UN organization adhere to the requirements by the international law. In this regard, women can feel safe irrespective of the countries they reside and have a right to live freely as the men do.

Works Cited

Bogdani, Mirela, and John Loughlin. Albania and the European Union: The Tumultuous Journey Towards Integration and Accession. London: I.B. Tauris, 2007. Print.

Buzawa, Eva S, Carl G. Buzawa, and Evan Stark. Responding to Domestic Violence: The Integration of Criminal Justice and Human Services. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, 2012. Print.

Kllogiri, Arsen. "Violence against women in Albanian society." European Journal of Social Sciences 4.2 (2017): 90-95.

Malley-Morrison, Kathleen, and Denise A. Hines. Family Violence in a Cultural Perspective: Defining, Understanding, and Combinating Abuse. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, 2004. Print.

Vokshi, Asim, and Jonida Rystemaj. "Domestic violence against women in Albania: A legal and socioeconomic perspective." Social and Natural Sciences Journal 7.2 (2013): 8-12.