Protest for Joy Ayoko

On February 20, a protest was held in remembrance of Joy Ayoko.

Full statement:

After a six-month battle for her life, Joy Ayoko sadly passed away on February 13. Joy, a 22-year-old woman, left Kenya seeking a better reality, a more dignified salary, and new opportunities. Unfortunately, she met a tragic fate in Albania. On August 13, 2022, Joy was raped and thrown from the second floor of the rented apartment she resided in on "Pandeli Evangjeli" street in the capital. The Tirana police issued their first announcement regarding the incident on November 9, three months later.

Despite several months passing since this grave event, the prosecutor's office has yet to take any action, and no investigative leads or specific suspects have been identified.

Ruth Abongo, Joy's mother, has vowed to seek justice for her daughter until the very end. Today, we stand here in solidarity with her call for justice, demanding a fair and transparent investigation and urging the responsible individuals involved in this heinous crime to be held accountable. Joy was failed by the police, who did not report the crime in a timely manner, by media indifference, by the lack of solidarity in raising funds for her medical treatment abroad, and by the indifference of investigative bodies.

Black immigrant women should not be treated as mere statistics that hold no significance in the political and judicial agendas of Albania. We demand an immediate and transparent response from the Prosecutor's Office of the Judicial District of Tirana. We declare that we will not forget or forgive the loss of any woman's life, whether she is black, foreign, Albanian, insured, uninsured, young, or old. If this case is not treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves, no woman, worker, or immigrant will feel safe in a country that aspires to be part of the European Union!

In 2023, we cannot compromise on the right to life!

Patriarchy kills women, and the state has become an accomplice. Today, we protest for Joy and for all the women who have lost their lives to femicide. We refuse to live in a society that normalizes the killing of women. We demand justice, protection, and a dignified life for all women!

THE FEMINIST COLLECTIVE February 20, 2023