Investigators uncover illegal matchmaking network in Albania
Predatory matchmakers in Northern Albania profit from selling young women to fake Macedonian grooms. Investigative journalists Admirina Peçi and Urim Hasipi uncovered an underground network of marriage brokers
Hundreds of women seek refuge in the rehabilitation centers of northern Albania, desperate to escape from a living nightmare. These refugees have not run from war or natural disaster but from their counterfeit husbands. Sent far from their families by shrewd matchmakers eager to make a profit, these women often encounter abuse, polygamy and hardship. Journalists Admirina Peçi and Urim Hasipi investigated their stories and the female trafficking business between Northern Albania and Macedonia with the support ofSCOOP, a network for investigative journalists in East and Southeastern Europe founded by IMS and the Danish Association of Investigative Journalism (FUJ).
An open wound
In the impoverished regions of Northern Albania, men are often cast as breadwinners, leaving women the caretakers of the home. To a family struggling with hardship, a daughter can seem like a financial burden and matchmakers prey on this vulnerability. Speaking with IMS, Admirina Peçi points out that, for this reason, fathers actively seek out husbands for their daughters at any cost.
-An unmarried woman is an open wound for these families of archaic mentality and traditions. The exploitation and trafficking of these girls is derived from this core problem, [a society] unused to the rules and reality of modern civilization.
After they are paid, matchmakers ship the young women off to Macedonia where their new husbands await. These women quickly find themselves in dire situations, forced to endure emotional and physical abuse, and too ashamed to return to their families.
Speak no evil
Ms. Peçi noted that fear of denunciation is one of the greatest deterrents to solving the problem of female trafficking. With her colleague Urim Hasipi, she uncovered many women like Vera, an Albanian who was abused by her husband and his family, yet no local police department had any record of trafficking crimes. She mentioned that, during the investigation, it was very difficult to find women courageous enough to speak about their experience.
-Actually, girls like Vera, do not have the courage to present a denunciation at the police…because they don’t trust their anonymity will be protected. For these girls and their mentality, the fear of the shame that their family would bear is greater than any other fear. These women should be able to present a denunciation without the fear that the denounced person will be informed even before they leave the police station.
Although investigative journalism is growing in Albania and Macedonia, very few media outlets have the financial resources to follow an in-depth story such as the one conducted by Ms. Peçi and Mr. Hasipi. According to Ms. Peçi, investigations into sensitive topic of female trafficking are quite rare in her country, and the assistance from SCOOP helped them accomplish a report that would have otherwise been “impossible.”
Official response
Police and ministry officials in Macedonia continue to deny knowledge of such cases in Albania and Macedonia. Though Ms. Peçi and Mr. Hasipi received feedback from citizens, there has been no concerted response on behalf of the government to address the issue. This is not a deterrent to Ms. Peci as she believes that a persistent effort by journalists to address the issue will lead to lasting change
-Any information that manages to get to the public is able to bring something new. People become more conscious, understanding that a society free of taboos is a healthy one, understanding where the threshold of danger lies. I do believe that similar investigations are necessary for our society.
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