From the banks of the Vjosa, in the protests for Valbona, in the opposition to the Skavica project or the Shushica diversion, the Kaçinar and Thirra rivers in Mirdita and the Kurdaria and Zall Gjocaj in Klos and Mat, women have been there.
They have organized, mobilized, and kept alive the emotional burden of conflict with the community and institutions. But when the moment comes "megaphone"often the voice heard is that of men."
Protecting natural resources in Albania is not just an environmental battle. For many girls and women, it is a confrontation with the invisible structures of a patriarchal order that determines who has the right to speak on behalf of the community.
Activism as a double act of resistance
A Saturday morning in January found Besjana Guri at the wheel. In Vlora, a group of girls and women involved in the community were waiting for her to talk about activism. This time, the activism was dedicated to the river, just like the name of the center that Besjana recently created.
Besjana presented environmental activism for river protection through artistic photos and motivational narratives. It was easy to find examples at the table, of different ages, but together for one cause: for rivers and the environment.
For Besjana, activism for river protection began 12 years ago, when she became committed to protecting the Vjosa from the Kalivaç hydroelectric power plant.
"Then I was on the front lines of the battle to protect it as a National Park." says Besjana, who continued her activism in the groups organizing protests for Valbona, Guri i Bardhë and Zall-Gjoçaj.
For Kerol Saçaj, currently a lecturer in the biology department at the "Ismail Qemali" University in Vlora, her commitment to environmental activism began when she worked at the Vjosa Basin in the monitoring-control and licensing sector for entities operating along the river.
"There I had the opportunity to see up close the various activities of the subjects and the impact they had on the Vjosa ecosystem. Direct contact with environmental issues and the consequences of human interventions made me aware and actively engaged," Carol told Citizens.al.
As with many recent environmental reactions in Albania, they come after sudden interventions in the environment, without consultation processes or informing residents.
Majlinda Hoxha's reaction from Dibra came exactly as such.
"It was born out of a need to speak out against the Skavica project as one of the most destructive projects for Dibra. While every day we are increasingly faced with new or ongoing environmental challenges that need to be addressed urgently."", Majlinda told Citizens.al.
Her volunteer initiative now bears the name of the "GARD" organization that lobbies for environmental protection.
Public space as "male territory"
The division between private and public has been one of the fundamental mechanisms of patriarchal organization. The woman, often associated with the home, care, reproduction, and the man with property, land, and public representation.
Therefore, rivers, land, and natural resources are perceived as part of the sphere of male decision-making.
When a woman leads the protest, she is not just challenging a development project, but a symbolic order.
"Being a woman activist in Albania in general and in rural areas or small towns in particular is not easy at all," says Besjana.
""At first you're not taken seriously, because they're usually male-dominated communities. It takes a long time for your word to have any weight.", Besjana continues.
For Majlinda Hoxha, activism in rural communities further reinforces this approach.
"It's incredibly difficult given the surrounding mentality and the limits that are imposed on you, reminding you that you are a woman and your place should be somewhere cooking or doing laundry, not at the forefront of the debate on issues that affect the entire community.", said Majlinda.
According to her, prejudices were inevitable, but she felt that there should have been one more voice in that group that was dominated by men. Besjana also expresses the same.
"But for me, the shield was being part of a larger team [that also included men], which helped me overcome gender bias," she says.
For Carol, the experience is milder in the territory where she has worked, also because she has seen these challenges as motivation to be more persistent in her activism.
“[…] it can be somewhat challenging, as it sometimes requires more persistence to have your voice heard and to gain the same professional appreciation”, said Carol.
She emphasizes that professionalism and self-confidence have been her shield.
"When you are confident in what you represent and supported by knowledge and arguments, you create a stance that doesn't leave much room for underestimation."
But even in her experience, there have been cases where priority has been given to a male colleague, usually due to age or experience. This shows that gender hierarchies are often intertwined with other hierarchies, age, status, institutional position.
For Besjana, male dominance is evident in concrete cases of environmental activism and beyond. She cites the case of protests against the Shushica diversion.
"Even the few women who were in the protest cannot be said to have led the cause," she brings to attention.
Pressure, fatigue and emotional cost
In rural areas or small towns, women's participation in protests remains lower.
"In a patriarchal society, women find it more difficult to be a strong voice," says Besjana.
"As a result, their participation in protests or public meetings is lower" she continues, adding that women often feel more vulnerable than men and can be easily intimidated.
Majlinda goes further by sharing that the stress of the first two years led to a serious health condition.
"I was hurt so much I almost got sick from the stress", she said, adding that she decided to continue working only with those who were collaborators and had a different vision from the rural community.
Activism for women is often more emotionally costly, because they face not only institutional pressure, but also social judgment.
For Carol, women's participation in protests or public meetings can often be made more difficult due to several social and cultural factors, such as family responsibilities, lack of time, or traditional expectations placed on their role in society.
"In many cases, the burden of domestic and family caregiving falls more heavily on women, limiting their ability to be active in public spaces," Carol analyzes.
"Another element may be the feeling of insecurity or lack of social support, especially in areas where women's public engagement is not yet fully normalized," she continues.
Among the three, family support emerges as a key factor. Besjana calls it "blessing" that she had. Majlinda, although she was advised "to protect oneself", was not left alone.
Carol also emphasizes family support.
"Their support has been an important factor that has given me the confidence to move forward and to engage without hesitation in issues that I have considered important", shares Carol.
Media and women's voices
All three agree that women's voices have been underrepresented. Besjana says there is a lack of intention to represent this voice in the media.
"The voice of women in river protection is underrepresented, it is often women who hesitate to come forward or speak out, while on the other hand, there is a lack of intention to represent this voice by the media," Besjana expressed.
However, she says that her voice is now consolidated.
"... but a few years ago I think I was seen as a secondary voice in the battle to protect rivers."
Majlinda expresses skepticism and has chosen to stay away from television.
"In Albanian society, a woman is labeled faster than a man, even to become the meme of the day," Majlinda shares.
According to a study titled "Challenges of women human rights defenders on the Internet", conducted by the Institute for Democracy and Mediation shows that women activists work in an unfriendly climate. Threats, bullying are some of the phenomena that affect them in the online space.
""83% of those interviewed reported having been affected at least once by online attacks in their work," the report states.
With the media now moving to the online space, hate speech or sexist language has also moved.
"92% of respondents believe that online violations and abuses are not treated the same as offline ones", "emphasizing that online abuse is underreported and also treated less seriously".
Carol, on the other hand, believes that for a long time, women's voices have not always had the space they deserve in the media, especially in public and decision-making matters.
“However, in recent years, a significant positive change has been observed. Women and girls are increasingly taking precedence in reporting and their presence in the media has become more visible, especially when it comes to social, environmental or local causes.”, she says.
Also Read:
- Water, forests and the environment: Local battles of 2025
- HPPs in Kaçinar, residents demand suspension of works
- "Shushica will not surrender", residents expel machinery from the construction site
- "Destroy Dibra", residents return to protests against Skavica
Erisa Kryeziu has completed higher studies in Journalism and Communication and Master of Science in Public Relations at the University of Tirana. She has been a journalist and project manager at Citizens.al for five years, where she reports on social issues and human rights, especially on issues of rights at work, in education, gender equality, marginalized groups, people with disabilities such as and for environmental issues. At the same time, she works as a project coordinator with a focus on youth and media education. User of new reporting techniques such as "Mobile Journalism" and citizen engagement tools in reporting (ECR-Engage Citizens Journalism).
