The Experiences of Albanian Women Living in London That Have Been Trafficked: Constructions of Female Identity within a Patriarchal Culture

Human trafficking, exploitation, and modern slavery have long been persistent, and deeply rooted problems, consistently drawing attention due to their ongoing prevalence. Albania has been recognised and highlighted as a key country for human trafficking, for both source and transit (Farruku & Özcan, 2020). The NRM (National Referral Mechanism), now referred to as the SCA (Single Competent Authority) reported that there was a total of 10,613 potential trafficking victims in the UK for the year 2020. Of this number, 1638 individuals (over 10%) were recorded to be Albanians, the highest figure for non-UK citizens (United States Department of State, 2021). Whilst these statistics portray an image of the current situation, there is a lack of the individual stories and the experiences of these victims. In particular, there is a lack of the aftermath that such events have caused on these individuals. When considering the case of Albania, previous literature has been very one-sided on the topic of portraying the Albanian society as a highly judgmental and stigmatising society upon such topics. This qualitative research attempts to uncover and explore the experiences of 15 Albanian women living in London, and how centuries-old traditions and customs, in a patriarchal dominant home culture, have encompassed and impacted their lives. By using an explorative approach via a thematic analysis and in-depth interviews, key themes will emerge, such as “Shame”, “Honour” and “Dishonour”, which are found to largely contribute to fear of familial exclusion, and societal stigmatisation (Ramaj, 2021) due to being sexually exploited and “Trafficked”. The aim of this study is to creating insights into the construction and reformulation of identities, as they emerge on the other side of a complex “Asylum” process, followed by a moral aim to create a space where these survivors are given a voice. The findings suggested that the main two factors contributing to the impairment and construction of the female identity in Albania range from a socio-economic perspective, more specifically the imbedded patriarchal structures, and the economic instability in the country. Limitations and future recommendations are discussed. For the purpose of this research, the acronym of NRM will be used in relation to the emerging themes of the participants, all of whom have received their “Conclusive Ground Decision”.