Albania, violence and gender-based discrimination increase during the Covid-19 pandemic

The researchers claimed that during the pandemic, domestic violence against women increased significantly, and gender-based discrimination increased significantly.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in cooperation with the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Swedish funds, set up an online system for registering and tracking domestic violence cases at the municipal level.

Thanks to the new technology, in 2021 1 thousand 489 cases of domestic violence have been registered and followed, ie an increase of almost 50 percent, compared to about 1 thousand annual cases from 2018-20, said Edlira Papavangjeli, UNDP Albania.

Updated data for each case has also doubled, an indicator of increased cooperation of actors in the community for the management of domestic violence cases, says Blerjana Bino, executive director of the Center “Science and Innovation for Development”, part of the Network of Albanian Women in STEM.

“In 2021 there is a significant increase in violence against women, and even a large number of women were killed by husbands or other family members. Despite the fact that Albania has a very good representation of the level of women in politics, ministers and members of the Assembly, this has not translated into a better situation of gender equality in the level of normal civic living, nor in an empowerment of women in different areas of life “- says Mrs. Bino.

According to the researchers’ observations, women were severely harmed during the Covid 19 Pandemic in their professional careers as well, which is reflected in short-term contracts, unequal pay for important tasks, increased workloads in the family and in the workplace.

The pandemic also had a major impact on the mental health of women and girls, says Ornela Bardhi, a researcher representing the “Mari Kyri” Alumni Association of the Western Balkans.

“The pandemic has affected mental health, from health workers who have worked overtime to depression, and these have affected the general population, not just women in the field of health,” she said. Mrs. Bardhi.

The researchers noted that during the two-year period of the pandemic, gender-based discrimination increased, job insecurity and invisible work for women and girls increased, as well as sexual harassment in the workplace, an understanding of childcare and prolonged work.

“The pandemic has been challenging in many areas and for many groups, but especially for women and girls. For them the burden of unpaid work at home increased, but they lost more jobs, or their wages were reduced, and in some professions the burden and demand for higher results at work increased. “They need to increase support in the family,” said Ms Bino.

The meeting highlighted as deteriorating indicators for Albanian women and girls their lower presence in the media and decision-making institutions, as well as low representation in leadership roles.

The pandemic also added to the difficulties of women scientists, for whom scientific publications were reduced, research work hours were reduced, and professional networks between them were weakened.

Women and girls were praised for the vital role they played at all levels of society in ensuring the livelihood and survival of millions of people, from the discovery of anticovid vaccines to their injection into millions of people, the health care for millions affected from coronavirus as well as providing income and livelihoods for families in conditions of isolation and extreme hardship./VOA/

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