The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) team have continued their intensive efforts towards ending all forms of gender-based violence, guided by the KWN strategic Program to Address Gender-based Violence.  

The team has continued their research to inform KWN’s fifth monitoring report on gender-based violence in Kosovo. The report will examine the awareness and attitudes of officials responsible for addressing gender-based violence, including how these have changed since 2021; the extent to which the applicable legal framework related to gender-based violence has been implemented since 2021; and propose evidence-based recommendations for improving the institutional response to gender-based violence in Kosovo. It also seeks to inform monitoring and evaluation of the National Strategy and Action Plan on Domestic Violence, Violence Against Women and Gender Based Violence 2022-2026 and to identify recommendations for the future Strategy and other needed legal amendments. 

The research team has finished more than 100 interviews with more than 16 different institutions, civil society experts and international organizations in eight municipalities. To date, the main challenge has been identifying accurate contact information for institutions at the municipal level and securing interviews with some officials. Now, they are in the process of transcribing interviews, coding, and analysis. The report is expected to be finalized later this year and published in early 2025.  

Meanwhile, Kosovo’s current legal framework pertaining to gender-based violence is in the process of undergoing significant changes. KWN continues to monitor and follow these processes closely.  

In September, Adelina Berisha, Program Manager on Addressing Gender-based Violence, participated in several working group meetings related to the Project Law to amend the Criminal Code, where she advocated KWN’s recommendations for including crimes related to gender-based cyberviolence. KWN also participated in the working group drafting the legal basis for the SOS hotline as per Istanbul Convention requirements; Administrative Instruction for establishing Local Coordination Mechanisms on Domestic Violence; submitted comments on the draft Law on Social Housing; and is following several other processes.  

The KWN team has found the discussions with institutions during working groups to be very fruitful in terms of sharing diverse views, experiences, and obstacles faced in implementing the current legislation. Hearing the very real challenges that prosecutors and judges face has provided KWN with important information on existing obstacles to implementing the legal framework, including those related to socialised gender norms and practices. Such information is important for identifying ways forward, both legally and socially in terms of awareness-raising. 

“We need to think more how we can address traditional norms, for example that value virginity, which may present obstacles to implementing the legal framework and fair access to justice,” Berisha observed based on her experiences in the working groups.  

Meanwhile, the KWN Team has continued providing free of charge counselling on the legal framework and referred cases of gender-based violence for free legal assistance, as well as monitored ongoing court cases related to addressing gender-based violence.  

Also, during September, Berisha also provided several interviews on topics related to GBV and gender issues in general, including on a specific case of sexual harassment at work,  reproductive health and favouring men in managerial positions.  

Overall, KWN had 19 instances of media coverage on gender-based violence this year, this number doesn’t include the reactions of KWN after a specific case.