National Strategy on Gender Equality and Domestic Violence 2007-2010.

The National Strategy on Gender Equality and Domestic Violence 2007-2010 is a multi-sectoral policy laying down the approaches and institutional mechanisms for mainstreaming gender issues into public policies, easing gender-based differences and preventing domestic violence. The country’s economic and social growth and the development and application of appropriate policies to achieve gender equality will serve as a premise for designing gender equality-related goals, and men and women’s equal access to decision-making at a central and local level, in the areas of education, health care, employment, public services and prevention of domestic violence.
The main goal concerns incorporation of gender issues into public policies through concrete, detailed and budgeted action plans, which help lay the foundation for advancing gender equality and to minimize the phenomenon of domestic violence in the future on the basis of international recommendations and instruments, while referring to concrete conditions in Albania.
Several strategic priorities contained in this document, in line with the areas it covers, may be enlisted as follows: 1. Reinforcing the protective legal and institutional mechanisms so as ensure gender equality in Albania. 2. Empowering women through their increased participation in decision-making. 3. Ensuring women’s economic empowerment and their increased opportunities for employment and vocational training. 4. Promoting women’s equal access to quality education. 5. Improving the social situation of women at risk by enhancing their access to quality social services. 6. Improving population health by boosting the health system’s response to specific health needs of men and women. Ensuring the media’s upgraded role in 7.introducing a new, modern approach to gender equality in the society. Ensuring women have a significant presence in the media. 8. Raising awareness of the phenomenon of violence, legal and administrative protection, and support for individuals affected by domestic violence as well as for the abusers.
The following agencies will be held accountable for the monitoring of the National Strategy on Gender Equality and Domestic Violence: National Gender Equality Council that will be set up by decision of Council of Ministers and will be headed by the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. This Council will be constituted with deputy ministers of the line Ministries, representatives of associations, stakeholders and the academic, Technical Secretariat for Monitoring of the Strategy on Gender Equality and Domestic Violence at the MOLSAEO, that follows up on the implementation of the Strategy and Action Plan, Committees for Equal Opportunities at the municipal level The tasks of the above bodies will be established by decisions of the Council of Ministers.