Arct Information

We implement concrete actions to an effective implementation of the UNCAT and the OPCAT in Albania. Choosing the UNCAT and the OPCAT ensures an indisputable legal and political basis that helps to achieve sustainable results: (a) awareness raising on law reform to promote sustainable changes in attitudes and practices in places of detention, (b) monitoring of places of detention, proper documentation and public reporting (c) development of capacities and expertise for staff in related institutions, and (d) strengthen the position and role of civil society. We provide monitoring, documentation of torture and ill-treatment, focusing both on legal and medical aspects; watch dog activities, education, and individual representation to the most vulnerable people deprived of their liberty. Our clients include victims of domestic violence who seek protection from batterers, seniors fighting to protect the Social Security payments and pensions they labored for years to earn, struggling mothers who do not receive the child support they desperately need, homeless families, immigrants, people with disabilities, those suffering from chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and countless others who face overwhelming problems with potentially dire outcomes. We advocate and lobby for legislative changes that help to improve the conditions in places of detention and reduce the risk of torture and ill-treatment. The strategy of informed and targeted advocacy is developed to promote and sustain a consistent pressure on the government and state authorities to adhere to national and international law and standards. We empower hundreds of existing and new torture victims every year by informing them of their legal rights through visits, expertise, as well as by developing and distributing information in print. We provide staff training for the newly established and existing penitentiary institutions, through well developed training materials and specific mechanisms in place for the legal, educator, medical and police staff.