大象传媒

Majlinda Zeqiri - Albanian

Where did you travel for your programmes?
Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia

How long were you away for in total?
20 days

Are you going back?
No

Were you moved or upset at any point on your recent trip?
Yes

What caused you to feel like this?
The stories people used to tell. Families who stay indoors because blood feuds still function in Albania; women who suffer domestic violence at home (one of them even reached the point where she killed her husband).

Was there anything that gave you hope?
Yes.

What was it?
People themselves were fighting more for their human rights.

Describe one of the people you interviewed and what they said.
Adem Demachi, one of the leading human rights activists in Kosovo. He is regared by some as the "Mandela of Kosovo" after being imprisoned for 28 years under the Serbian regime because of his political views. He is now in the front line of protecting the rights of minorities. The Kosovo case is quite a special one, because for the first time the protection of human rights surpassed national sovereignty.

Has your trip made you think any differently about human rights?
Yes

How?
Though difficult to implement especially in countries like Albania or Macedonia or Kosovo, it still makes you hopeful for a better future.

漏 大象传媒 World Service, Bush House, Strand, London WC2B 4PH, UK.