Protests against rape take place throughout Albania
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Protests have been independently organized throughout Albanian cities in response to sexual abuse cases becoming public and more frequent in the last weeks.
The rape case of a 15-year-old girl in Mirdita became viral in social media sites when the names of the four abusers were made public. The 15-year-old was deceived by a 32-year-old married man, who manager to get the victim in his car and film her rape. Further, the abuser shared the video with three of his friends whom proceeded to blackmail her and coerce the victim into further sexual relations.
The 15-year-old’s family denounced the act at the Mirdita police station, providing phone messages and screenshots as evidence. The girl’s uncle has since come forth with the allegation that more than four individuals were involved in the act. The family of the 15-year-old girl reports that she is in a critical psychological condition and is currently being held under the care of the Social Service of the Municipality of Mirdita.
This case and other cases of sexual violence and femicide, which have been extremely common in the last weeks, have probed activists and citizens to rise in collective manifestations. On Sunday May 23rd in the main square of Tirana, Sheshi Skenderbej young and old citizens alike gathered to chant their dissatisfaction with the current social status of women in Albania. The chants “No means No”, “My body, my choice” and “Educate your son” were hollered during the manifestation around the city which concluded in front of the Ministry of Justice
A protest was also held on Friday, 21st in the regional center of the Mirdita Municipality, Rrëshen where activists directly shouted their support for the case of the 15-year-old girl.
What is pleasantly surprising about the protests is the high number of young protesters, mostly teenagers but also children accompanied by their parents and guardians – going to show the higher level of gender awareness in the young generations, which hopefully will be able to have a greater say in social relations than their predecessors.
