ALBANIA: FROM TODAY A NATIONAL PLATFORM TO REPORT SPEECH AND HATE CRIMES

Studies show that only 3% of hate speech cases are reported!

Tirana 20 May 2022 - This morning, the National Platform ISIGURT.AL and the PINK Embassy presented the National Platform "REPORT: Speech and Hate Crimes", in a public event hosted by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. The meeting was organized in the framework of the International Day against Homophobia and the 13th Festival of Diversity, because the LGBTI community in Albania remains one of the most affected by speech and hate crimes.

Hate speech has started to be encountered everywhere, in schools, workplaces, entertainment and sports, media, etc., while in recent years also on-line. Hate speech and hate crimes have already become some of the most harmful attitudes and actions towards citizens and communities, often the most disadvantaged in Albania. They denigrate, offend or cause considerable harm not only to the individuals directly affected by them, but to society as a whole.

Based on the latest report of the National Platform ISIGURT.AL, "Hate Speech in Albania", which collects data 2018-2022, about 61% of online incidents belong to Hate Language, a very high figure this which shows that this phenomenon is widespread everywhere. The social platform that displays the most hate speech is Instagram with 52% of cases, followed by Facebook, Youtube and Tik Tok.

But on the other hand, it seems that only 3 percent of this phenomenon is actually reported to the relevant institutions or to the relevant social media support. According to the study of the European Union and the Council of Europe,97% of the cases of hate speech in Albania fail to be reported.

On the other hand, the most vulnerable group to suffer hate speech crime are  LGBTI, however this group prefer to report this type of crime. According to the study, almost 40% of respondents victims of hate speech claim to have responded to the person who attacked them, about 30% had chosen to delete the hate message, and only 10% of respondents chose to report to public institutions such as the police, the Commissioner for Protection against Discrimination, the court, etc.

The Council of Europe survey ‘Beyond Limits: Calls against Hate Speech’, among others, found that: - 58% of respondents felt that hate speech was widespread or very widespread; - 72% of LGBTI persons interviewed reported being victims of violence, assault with weapons or other objects.

A report of the European Commission Against Racism and Tolerance notes for Albania that in the last 10 years very few cases of crimes and hate speech have been tried and denounced. ECRI states that according to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Albania has also not systematically reported the number of hate crimes recorded by the police. According to this Commission, Albania lacks a comprehensive data collection system for racist and homo- / transphobic hate speech incidents.

The Executive Director of CRCA / ECPAT Albania, Altin Hazizaj, stressed that: “The opening of a platform for reporting cases of language and hate crimes is already a necessity for the Albanian reality. This platform is one of the solutions, but not the only solution. "The only solution to hate speech and crimes is to prevent them."

ISIGURT.AL, as the National Platform for Safe Internet that enjoys the status of partner with Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Snapchat, WhatsUp, Youtube, etc., will provide for all those affected by hate speech, the identification and removal of materials from all platforms and social networks, and will refer all events to the responsible authorities. Another task that the ISIGURT.AL Platform will fulfill is the collection of data and the awareness and information of the public about this situation in Albania.

The National Internet Platform “Report Crimes and Hate Speech started its work on May 20 in the framework of the International Day against Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia and the 13th Diversity Festival in Albania.

For more information, contact:

Albanian National Platform for Secure Internet

E-mail: isigurt@isigurt.al