Speaking at the presentation activity of the “Advancement of training capacities of the Albanian School of Magistrates and the Security Academy in the fight against human trafficking” project by the OSCE Presence in Albania, Smith said that, “While we come together to discuss Albania’s anti-trafficking efforts, I feel confidence and hope. We believe that law enforcement bodies and justice professionals in Albania are committed to confronting human trafficking. And I hope that Albania will continue to strengthen efforts to hold traffickers accountable”.

“Albania has made progress in the penal prosecution of traffickers in recent years, but there is still work to be done. The DASH report on human trafficking has made several recommendations for Albania,” said Smith.

“This year we saw an increase in number of criminal prosecutions and punishment of traffickers. This is welcome news, but we urge action to make this an annual trend, to show sustained determination to stop trafficking,” Smith emphasized.

This, he underlined, “is the reason why the US government funded this project, which will strengthen the capacities and resources of education and training in the Magistrate’s School and the Security Academy”, said Smith.

“Albania’s future judges, prosecutors and police officers will be better equipped to identify, prosecute and punish human traffickers,” added Smith.

The project, which is implemented with the support of the governments of the United States of America, Norway and Italy, aims to advance and support the quality of training for police structures, judges and prosecutors in Albania as measures against human trafficking. This will be done through the specialization of the academic staff of the School of Magistrates and the Security Academy. /j.p/p.s./