Hostile school environment and no government partnership with civil society: -5/10 | There is no evidence of the government providing funding or working in partnership with civil society: 0/10 | The government provides funding and works in partnership with civil society to promote inclusive education for one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10
School bullying remains common in Albania, as highlighted by ECRI. Civil society has reported that LGBTQI students in particular face widespread bullying and discrimination, affecting their academic performance and well-being.
A 2023 survey found that 87% of LGBTQI students had experienced verbal harassment, and 42% physical assaults, due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. 62% of LGBTQI students also reported skipping school to avoid bullying, leading to negative impacts on their academic achievements.
Discrimination and violence contributes to higher dropout rates among LGBTQI young people in Albania. A 2023 study found that 35% of LGBTQI students who chose not to pursue higher education cited hostile university environments as the main reason behind their decision. Over the past five years, Aleanca LGBT has documented 25 cases of individuals leaving their education due to bullying and societal pressure. 80.2% of LGBTQI victims never report discrimination experienced out of fear of exposure and further mistreatment.
In 2018, PINK Embassy published ‘Teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards LGBTI persons in public high schools in Albania’, and highlighted alarming findings about school environments. Two-thirds of teachers responded that they did not address anti-LGBTQI bullying they witnessed in their classrooms. Over two-thirds stated they would not support LGBTQI students and almost 10% said they would not want them in their class.
In 2019, a high school student in the town of Vlora suffered repeated attacks from peers after coming out, including being kicked and strangled. The school failed to protect the student, who ended up dropping out.
In 2020, local NGO Streha’s survey found that 72% of its respondents experienced school bullying due to being LGBTQI.
In 2022, Aleanca’s study with LGBTQI high school and university students found that 65% feel unsafe at school; 93% heard homophobic slurs in school very often and almost a third have skipped or changed schools due to bullying.
In 2023, Aleanca’s annual survey found that 30% of LGBTQI respondents were unable to complete compulsory education because of discrimination and economic challenges.
PINK Embassy and CRCA/ECPAT Albania followed up on over ten cases of bullying of LGBTQI minors, revealing that public schools lacked protocols for handling SOGI-based violence or discrimination.
The Albanian National Child Helpline (ALO 116-1110) reported a 30% increase in calls from LGBTQI children reporting peer bullying and violence. One adolescent attempted suicide due to continuous bullying without adequate protection.
The above information demonstrates that the government does not provide funding, nor does it actively work in partnership with NGOs in relation to LGBTQI inclusive education.
