During November in Kosovo, as in the rest of the world, we marked the global campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence”. 

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) was represented by the Chair of the Board, Ariana Qosaj Mustafa, at the opening of activities organized by the Ministry of Justice, along with the Program Manager Against Gender-Based Violence, Adelina Berisha.  

“A key issue requiring our collective focus is the need for comprehensive allocation of human and financial resources to combat violence against women,” stated Qosaj Mustafa.  

Meanwhile, Berisha also participated in the panel “United Against Violence – Enough!”  

“Comprehensive sexual education as a mandatory school subject directly contributes to the prevention of violence. All institutions must be more accountable in handling cases of gender-based violence. This remains one of the most frequent crimes within Kosovo’s prosecutorial system,” said Berisha.  

Additionally, towards the end of November, the Kosovo Women’s Network team participated in two different panels, discussing domestic violence and gender-based violence with students.  

The GBV team also attended the launch of CEL’s report, “Analysis of Gender-Based Violence Against LGBTIQ+ Communities in Kosovo 2023-2024”, which identified the challenges faced by the LGBTIQ+ community in reporting gender-based violence. Adelina Berisha, Program Manager Against Gender-Based Violence, moderated the panel discussion, which included representatives from the Kosovo Police and civil society.  

The KWN Gender-Based Violence Program team, throughout October and November, continued its dedicated efforts to end all forms of this violence, guided by KWN’s Strategic Program.  

In this framework, various meetings were held with national and international institutions where KWN advocated for improvements to the legal infrastructure to address cases of gender-based violence.  

In October, the “Conference on Promoting and Implementing Legislation and Policy for Preventing Sexual Harassment in Kosovo’s Public Administration Institutions”, organized by the Office of Good Governance, took place. In the panel “Addressing, Responding to, and the Importance of Sensitive Reporting of Sexual Harassment Cases in Public Administration Institutions”, Adelina Berisha, Program Manager for Addressing Gender-Based Violence at KWN, was a speaker.  

She discussed the role of women’s organizations in addressing sexual harassment and emphasized the importance of a victim-centered approach, considering the consequences of sexual harassment on those who experience it.  

Additionally, KWN’s research team continued conducting interviews as part of their research to better understand how local institutions are implementing legislation against gender-based violence, identifying opportunities and challenges in addressing such violence while focusing on their knowledge and perceptions of its various forms.  

Between March and November, the team monitored over 100 cases related to domestic violence, gender-based violence, violence against women, and child custody in the Basic Courts of Prishtina and Ferizaj. These cases included various forms of violence, such as aggravated murder, physical and psychological violence, and protective orders.  

In the past two months, the monitoring team continued observing over 100 court sessions on domestic violence cases, while legally representing and advising over 20 women. To continue advocacy and raise public awareness on addressing gender-based violence, in October and November, KWN made 10 media appearances, discussing, among other things, their recommendations for including cyber violence in the Criminal Code and addressing cases of violence against minors. KWN emphasized its urgent call for relevant institutions to treat cases of violence against minors, including recent rape cases, with utmost priority and seriousness. They also demanded thorough and professional investigations to ensure that all perpetrators are brought to justice and receive deserved punishments.  

At the beginning of November, the country was also shaken by devastating news, as three rape cases occurred within 48 hours, two involving minors. Through media appearances, KWN raised its voice, calling for these cases to be handled with the highest level of seriousness, while highlighting the persistent insecurity that girls and women still experience in our society.  

KWN’s Gender-Based Violence Program will continue its activities in the coming months, aiming to prevent all forms of gender-based violence in Kosovo.