PINK Embassy: LGBTI people in Albania to enjoy the right to adopt children!

Albania continues to discriminate against LGBTI people from equality in cohabitation and marriage

Tirana, September 21, 2020 - The PINK Embassy in Albania officially requested that LGBTI persons enjoy the right to adopt children and to have equality in marriage. Based on the proposals that the Ministry of Justice has recently submitted for consultation on some changes and improvements in the adoption law and the Family Code, the PINK Embassy requested that the proposed changes eliminate open discrimination against LGBTI persons, as in the Law on Adoptions as well as in the Family Code.

Despite internal requirements and international pressure for Albania to guarantee equality in marriage and the responsibilities that come with it, our country continues to openly discriminate against LGBTI persons from the right to legally recognize their relationships or families, to care for their children, or to adopt. Today in Europe 26 States recognize equality in marriage and cohabitation: 14 countries officially recognize equality in same-sex civil marriage and 12 others recognize civil cohabitation.

Social prejudices about marriage in Albania are deeply ingrained in the few remaining laws that are openly discriminatory against LGBTI people.

The Ministry of Justice for several weeks has opened the process of public consultation on two important laws related to the family, that of child adoption and the family code itself. The PINK Embassy is the only organization since 2010 that has sought and advocated annually for marriage equality for LGBTI persons in Albania.

During the last consultative meeting that took place between the representatives of the ministries and CSOs, the PINK Embassy publicly presented its request for the elimination of all barriers or even legal attacks that the Albanian law continues to hold only against LGBTI persons. On September 15, 2020, in the next consultative meeting regarding the amendments to the Adoption Law and the Family Code, held at the premises of the Ministry of Justice, the PINK Embassy invited all public institutions seeking the elimination of discrimination in the right to cohabitation and marriage within the same gender.

Despite Albania continuing to make progress in protecting the rights of LGBTI people, prejudice, discrimination, and violence are present in their lives. A few studies show that social attitudes towards the LGBTI community are generally negative and among the most unfavourable in Europe.

For more information, contact:

PINK Embassy Albania

pink@pinkembassy.al