The “Association of Albanian Girls and Women” (AAGW) is an organization created in 2003 by and for survivors of human trafficking in Albania. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 Albanian girls and women who are currently or who formerly have been survivors of illegal trafficking for the purpose of enforced prostitution, one third of whom are age nineteen or younger. More survivors are arriving all the time. Our average age is seventeen; the youngest girls have been twelve. We are the beneficiaries of AAGW, but we are also its members and leaders.

A primary aim of AAGW is to help former survivors of trafficking reintegrate into Albanian society. We promote this goal by supplementing and supporting job training, job placement, and handicraft production programs. Equally important, since we are an organization run by and for trafficked women, our daily operation also offers important leadership and managerial experience and provides a voice for us in Albanian society.

AAGW is a tool for personal empowerment. We have been robbed of our human dignity. AAGW helps us restore it. We are the experts on trafficking; we know best how to determine our own needs and propose solutions for lasting change. AAGW gives us this opportunity.