The HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on Hate Crimes, specifically tailored for judges, prosecutors, and police officers in Albania, was launched in Tirana on 28 June. This event, supported by the European Union and the Council of Europe was a significant step towards enhancing the capacity of legal professionals in Albania in addressing and combating hate crimes effectively.

The course will start on 1 July and will last for six weeks, looking forward in enrolling as many law enforcement officers, judges, and prosecutors as possible.

While Albania has made progress in addressing hate crimes through legal frameworks and international co-operation, significant challenges remain. In this sense, there is an underreporting issue, often due to a lack of trust in law enforcement and the judicial system. Awareness among the public about what constitutes a hate crime and how to report it, remains low and this also contributes to the underreporting of such incidents.

Another important fact is that official statistics on hate crimes are limited, which prevents a comprehensive understanding of the real situation in Albania. Enhanced training for legal professionals, increased public awareness, and better support systems for victims remain essential.

The need for continuous training for judges, prosecutors, and police officers is crucial to ensure they are equipped to identify, investigate, and prosecute hate crimes effectively. This is where initiatives like the HELP course come into play as they aim to bridge knowledge gaps and improve the effectiveness of the legal system in handling hate crimes. Further initiatives will be taken in the joint fight against hate speech, hate crimes and discrimination in Albania.

This activity was organised within the action “Advancing the protection from discrimination in Albania”, part of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” in co-operation with the ‘Human Rights Trust Fund’ HELP in the Western Balkans project.