Strengthening Migrant Workers’ Rights in Albania: Key Achievements and Challenges
February 27, 2025
Voices of Virtual Violence
March 13, 2025
From February 2024 to March 2025, ASDO – supported by BMZ and GIZ – implemented a national initiative designed to strengthen the protection of migrant workers’ rights in Albania. The project focused on three pillars: improving the legal framework, building institutional capacity, and increasing public awareness.
What We Implemented?
- Strategic Kick-off & Stakeholder Coordination
Launched high-level coordination with the State Labour Inspectorate (SLI), MEKI, NAES, and other institutions to align priorities and create a common roadmap for migrant worker protection.
- Baseline Assessment of Labor Inspectors
Conducted a nationwide survey with more than 60% of Albania’s labor inspectors, identifying critical gaps in knowledge on migrant labor rights, ethical recruitment, and gender-sensitive inspection practices.
FINDINGS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF THE NEEDS OF LABOUR INSPECTORS
- Training of Trainers (ToT) for Inspectors
Delivered a two-day intensive ToT with 25 inspectors, covering:
- Legal rights and obligations for foreign workers
- Ethical recruitment aligned with ILO standards
- Forced labor and trafficking indicators
- Gender-sensitive inspection procedures
- Effective communication with vulnerable groups
SUCCESS STORY: Training materials were formally integrated into ASPA’s national curriculum, ensuring long-term institutional sustainability!!!
- Multi-Stakeholder Roundtables
Organized high-level dialogues between SLI, NAES, MEKI, and expert groups to address policy gaps, identify procedural bottlenecks, and harmonize labor governance for migrant workers.
- Policy White Paper (Legal Reform Proposal)
Developed and publicly presented a detailed Policy Proposal for amendments to Law No. 108/2013 “On Foreigners”, strengthening transparency, fair recruitment, work permit procedures, and access to justice for migrant workers.
- National Awareness & Multilingual Outreach Campaign
Produced and disseminated multilingual brochures (in 7 languages) and a nationwide digital information campaign to inform migrant workers and employers on legal rights, working conditions, and reporting mechanisms.
- Regional Visibility & Advocacy
Presented Albania’s approach at the ILO–GIZ regional conference “Promoting Fair Recruitment” in Pristina, supporting regional harmonization of standards.
Presented Albania at the International Peer Learning Event on Migration held in Berlin, joining global experts and institutions to exchange best practices on migrant protection and inclusion. During the event, ASDO shared Albania’s recent progress, highlighted the work undertaken through the 3-R Framework, and strengthened partnerships aimed at improving fair recruitment, cross-border coordination, and support services for migrant workers.
Main Deliverables
- Policy & Governance
- Comprehensive White Paper with proposed amendments to Law No. 108/2013
- Revised inspection tools and guidance for field inspectors
- Strengthened inter-institutional cooperation mechanisms
- Institutional Capacity Building
- Baseline Survey Report on labor inspectorate capacities
- Training of Trainers (ToT) curriculum
- Integration of the training program into ASPA’s official curriculum
- Up-skilled inspectors with gender-sensitive, ethical recruitment, and migrant rights competencies
- Awareness & Outreach
- National awareness campaign on labor rights
- Multilingual brochures in Albanian, English, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Filipino, and TurkishDigital campaign materials (infographics, posts, videos)
- Public dissemination through SLI, NAES, recruitment agencies, and social platforms
