From Law to Practice: Advancing Women’s Access to Justice in Albania

Tirana, March 2026 - On International Women’s Day, UN Women in Albania highlights the importance of ensuring that women and girls can fully access justice and legal protection.

Albania has made important progress in strengthening its legal framework on gender equality and elimination of discrimination. However, evidence shows persisting gaps in women access justice in practice. These challenges are reflected in the new UN Women regional report “Women’s Access to Justice in Europe and Central Asia.”

Despite progress as the result of the justice reform, women continue to face barriers when seeking justice in cases related to gender-based violence, divorce, child support, property and other issues. High legal and transportation costs, and family care responsibilities limit their ability to seek and obtain legal remedy. Courts and legal aid centers are often concentrated in urban areas, making access more difficult for women in rural communities. Limited awareness of legal rights and complex procedures further discourage reporting of discrimination based on gender. As a result, discrimination cases remain insufficiently documented.

A 2025 monitoring report by the Center for Legal and Civic Initiatives (CLCI) reviewed 479 domestic violence cases over the past three years in seven courts across Albania. It found that only 108 victims or 22 % of cases were represented by a lawyer, while 371 women went through proceedings without legal representation. Only seven benefited from state-funded legal aid. In cases where women had legal representation, courts granted protection orders in almost all instances. This shows that access to legal aid significantly increases the likelihood of protection and that current procedures for free legal aid need to better reflect the urgency of domestic violence cases.

Data from the People’s Advocate Observatory on Femicide established in 2024 with support from UN Women, underscores the urgent need to strengthen protection and early-response mechanisms. In 2024, the Observatory analysed 18 cases of extreme violence against women and girls, including five killings of women, three of which were classified as femicides, six attempted killings, three cases of intentional serious injury, and four cases of incitement to suicide. In 72 per cent of the cases, victims had previously experienced violence, yet none were under active protection measures at the time of the crime. These findings highlight critical gaps in early risk identification, prevention and institutional response to violence against women.

These findings show that laws alone are not enough. Protection orders must be enforced consistently, risks must be assessed early, and institutions must work together to prevent escalation.

The regional study also points to emerging challenges, including technology-facilitated violence and highlights the need for the reforms of the justice systems and modernization efforts to assess how they impact women and other disadvantaged groups. It stresses the importance of accessible legal aid, gender-sensitive justice institutions, coordinated services, reliable data, and investment in survivor support so that rights guaranteed by law are delivered in practice.

Albania’s ongoing justice reforms and European integration process provide important opportunities to integrate gender considerations in the justice system and especially ensure timely and effective support for victims of violence.

This International Women’s Day 2026, under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” UN Women calls for urgent and decisive action: end impunity, defend the rule of law, and deliver equality, in law, in practice, and in every sphere of life, for all women and girls.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, the People Advocate, and UN Women in Albania, organized a high-level dialogue to discuss progress related to women’s access to justice, in the context of justice reform and international commitments. The event was supported by the Government of Sweden, with the participation of the EU Delegation.

As the global community prepares for the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – the United Nations’ highest-level intergovernmental body on women’s rights, governments have a critical opportunity to renew their commitment to ensuring that access to justice becomes a reality for every woman and girl. At this event, taking place from 9 to 19 March, Albania will present progress under the theme “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices, and addressing structural barriers.”