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SAD story: Ana, the student from Vlonia who dropped out of law, was forced to sink into debt and raped while pregnant!

2024-07-31 14:23:13Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
SAD story: Ana, the student from Vlonia who dropped out of law, was forced to
Note: The name used is fictitious to protect the survivor's identity

Ana is among the 115 women and girls identified during 2023 as potential victims of human trafficking in Albania.

Her story began in June when she and her roommate were referred by a local Catholic church to the Vatra shelter, seeking immediate help.

During the introductory meeting, the center's social staff discovered that Ana, despite being seven months pregnant, had not had any health check-ups.

She had visible signs of violence on her face and body, which she attributed to fainting. Throughout the interview, Ana could not talk about her condition.

Her partner controlled the conversation, insisting on being present and preventing the girl from talking alone with center staff.

Ana received immediate medical care and was referred to the Directorate of Social Service and Economic Assistance in the municipality, to apply for financial support, being the head of the family.

She and her partner were not married and had been estranged from the family for some time. Under the pressure of her partner's threats of physical violence, she had taken loans from several financial institutions and was drowning in heavy debts.

In a heartfelt confession, Anna's mother revealed that she had been raped and abused by her current partner and often showed visible signs of violence.

The family was aware that she had been forced to beg and steal under the coercion of her partner, that she had been forced to abandon her university studies in Law, but they felt powerless to help her overcome the traumatic experience.

After the immediate assessment of the situation, the case was referred to the Anti-trafficking Sector at the Vlora Police Directorate, as a possible victim of trafficking, identified by the shelter employees.

Two months later, the local coordinator in the municipality returned Ana to the Vatra Center after she was hospitalized due to extreme violence by her abuser. The rest is history, since as of October 2023, Ana and her baby were finally housed in the Vatra shelter.

"I didn't understand the situation I was in at all. I felt terrible. I thought that this was my fate and that I deserved to be treated that way. I had also seen violence in my family. I didn't know my rights. I was afraid for myself and the child I was going to give birth to, - said Ana after finding shelter in the shelter.

The mother and child were provided with safety, food, clothing, health care and psychosocial support. She agreed to start the reintegration program and a team of experts from the multidisciplinary working group developed her individual support plan.

Initially, Ana was always scared and had trouble sleeping. She resisted sharing her story and demonstrated significant trust issues with shelter staff and her case manager. 

Ana had many scars on her face and body from the violence. She looked tired and sad and hardly trusted anyone, coming from a violent background.

Motivated by her baby, Ana gathered her strength and asked for advice on how to care for her daughter. It was a very important moment for him."

Once Ana started to get back on her feet, she relied on the free legal aid offered by the shelter. She and her lawyer decided to return to the police department to tell her story of abuse and how she survived trafficking, explaining what it meant and how it differed from other experiences.

Ana had to be brave once again, but this time she was not alone, the Judicial Police officer and her lawyer were by her side.

Several meetings followed with the prosecution of the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction for complete and responsible investigations and the correct definition of criminal offenses.

As a result, an arrest warrant was issued for the suspect as a criminal and the charges were redefined from "domestic violence" to "intentional serious injury" to a co-habitant, according to Article 88/2, "Sexual relationship with violence against adults", according to Article 102 and "Unlawful deprivation of liberty", according to Article 110 of the Criminal Code. Her former partner was sentenced to 14 years in prison, according to Article 406/1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Thanks to the services and all the support she has received, Ana's emotional state has stabilized and her self-care and child care have improved. Her relationship with her family has improved drastically and since then she is in regular contact with her mother.

"I feel safe. I want to be a strong woman so that I can provide a better future for my child. I have started my university studies in Law and I want to continue my studies in Human Rights to protect others in need, just like I was", said an Ana in a completely different story.

Shelter staff will continue to support both Anna and her child with the aim of transitioning them to independent living, in the final phase of her reintegration path. They continue to work to mediate with the municipality to provide Ana with social housing services. The good fight still continues!/ UNICEF


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