In Kosovo’s schools, silence around sexual harassment has lingered for too long. For many young people, growing up means entering classrooms where the subject is never discussed, textbooks barely touch upon it, and students, especially girls, are left without the knowledge or confidence to recognize or report abuse. This silence carries consequences: young people facing harassment do so alone, afraid of stigma and unsure where to turn for help.
The NGO Ura Sociale, based in Vushtrri, decided to change this reality. Guided by the voices of students, teachers, and families, its initiative was built not only to raise awareness but also to provide practical tools, confidence, and safe spaces.
Throughout the initiative, 125 students from three secondary schools in Vushtrri joined a program that combined awareness-raising, dialogue, and practical guidance. In workshops led by Ura Sociale’s trainers, teenagers spoke openly about what sexual harassment is, how it happens, and how it can be stopped. The sessions moved beyond mere definitions and became a safe space for students to raise difficult questions, reflect on their own experiences, and learn that their voices carry weight.
School staff, too, joined the process. Sixteen educators, school leaders, and psychologists participated in training sessions designed to help them recognize signs of harassment and respond with sensitivity and responsibility. For many, it was the first time they had approached their own teaching through a gender-sensitive lens, realizing how classroom dynamics can either reinforce silence or foster respect and equality.
Teacher Ibrahim Lahu, now the director of the “Lutfi Musiqi” Vocational High School, states: “Students were very engaged in these lectures, showing a clear need for more open discussions on preventing sexual harassment. The project demonstrated that such sessions should become a permanent part of the educational process.”
Parents took part in the initiative through a dedicated meeting where mothers and fathers were encouraged to break long-standing taboos and talk with their children about safety, respect, and dignity.
Step by step, knowledge turned into confidence. Students left the sessions with a clearer understanding of their rights and the courage to speak up. Over 90% of students rated the lectures as highly valuable. What began as guided discussions soon blossomed into a peer-to-peer culture of awareness, with students sharing what they learned also with friends. Through this knowledge-sharing, supported by informational materials and online campaigns, the initiative reached more than 1,500 peers indirectly. Parents, too, walked away empowered with the knowledge and confidence to sustain these vital conversations at home, turning silence into trust and dialogue. Teachers gained practical tools and a renewed sense of responsibility, and many have continued to address the topic of sexual harassment in classes or during school activities, keeping the conversation alive long after the initiative ended.
Ura Sociale’s initiative “Raising Awareness for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment” was carried out with support from the Kosovo Women’s Network’s (KWN) Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and co-financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), in the amount of €4,318, from October 2021 to March 2022. The initiative contributed directly to KWN’s Programme “Gender Transformative Education”.
