Laureta* remembers the day she decided to break her silence.
After 10 years of continual physical and psychological abuse by her husband, she went to a police station in a coastal Albanian city — afraid but determined to protect herself and her two daughters. She reported him and sought legal protection. Police carried out an urgent risk assessment and referred the case to the courts for an emergency protection order.
Within 48 hours the court ordered her husband to leave the family home, barred any contact with her and the children, and required him to attend a rehabilitation programme for domestic violence offenders. The court also ordered child support, but Laureta says payments have been irregular, making daily life difficult.
“The hardship doesn’t end with the protection order and the court decisions,” she told DW. “You have to rebuild your life from scratch.”
Thanks to Albania’s support and protection system Laureta received temporary financial assistance and found work as a hairdresser. Her case did not end in femicide. But not all women in Albania survive domestic violence.
Femicide — the intentional killing of a woman or girl for gender-based reasons — is the most extreme form of gender-based violence. In Albania the term is not defined as a separate criminal offence: killings of women are prosecuted under general homicide rules, with gender motive treated only as an aggravating circumstance. “The term femicide has not been included in our code, nor was it defined in the new draft,” says lawyer Rezarta Agolli. “The Women’s Empowerment Network in Albania has requested that the term femicide be incorporated [into the code].”
Shocking statistics underline the urgency. A report by the Observatory for Femicide in Albania, “Killing of Women and Girls and Femicide in Albania, 2021–2023,” recorded 32 women and girls killed in that period; 24 of those were classified as femicides. In 27 cases the victim was related to the perpetrator. Official Ministry of Health and Social Protection data show that between 2022 and 2025, 23 women were killed in family-related incidents.
The Observatory also highlights that in roughly 90% of cases victims had experienced violence from the eventual killer before the murder, yet only six had previously reported the abuse to police.
Between 2021 and 2025, Albanian authorities issued 11,819 protection orders for women. In 2025 alone there were 2,849 orders registered, of which 144 were violated. These figures show an increasing institutional response, but they also reveal a key limitation: a protection order does not always guarantee physical safety.
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection says it develops rehabilitation programmes for victims and perpetrators, “ensuring effective implementation.” Albania operates 17 rehabilitation and reintegration shelters with a combined capacity of around 40 places, and provides free legal assistance through 20 primary legal aid centres, 12 legal clinics and 15 authorised non-profit organisations. Experts, however, warn that legal and social infrastructure is insufficient without faster, better-coordinated responses.
Experts point to economic, cultural and institutional inequalities as drivers of violence against women in Albania. Ines Leskaj, head of the Albanian Women Empowerment Network (AWEN), told DW the causes are “multiple and intertwined: economic dependence, social isolation, lack of psychological support,” but at the core is a patriarchal mentality that prevents women living independently and free from violence. She says pressure comes not only from perpetrators but also from families and communities, where women can be treated as property or as bearers of shame, which can push violence to escalate into femicide.
International bodies have urged legal reform. In October 2023 the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) recommended Albania amend its penal code to specifically criminalise femicide and explicitly define all forms of gender-based violence — including economic and cyber violence — as criminal offences.
Legal reform, protection orders and access to legal aid are important steps, experts say, but without deeper change to patriarchal attitudes, greater societal awareness, and stronger protective mechanisms many women remain at risk. Leskaj stresses that the protection and social support system itself must change: it needs direct services for victims and children, structures able to respond at any hour, and properly planned budgets.
Laureta’s case shows timely intervention can save lives, but it also highlights how fragile women’s safety is when protection orders are violated and economic support is inadequate. Recognising femicide as a distinct crime, strengthening immediate response mechanisms, investing in sustainable social services, and educating against violence are essential to prevent tragedies and ensure violence is addressed before it escalates.
Femicide does not begin with a gunshot: it starts with silence, daily fear, and the normalization of control and humiliation. Until those things are rooted out, the statistics will continue to tell stories that should never be repeated.
*Name changed to protect her identity.
Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan
This article was produced with the support of the government of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of a project promoting quality journalism in North Macedonia and neighboring countries.