In Pristina’s secondary schools, thousands of students move through crowded classrooms where teachers work hard to deliver lessons but rarely find space to talk about respect, safety or gender-based violence. With limited collaboration between schools, parents and children, and a shortage of school psychologists and social workers, many young people grow up without guidance on how to recognise violence or seek help.
NORMA Lawyers Association stepped in to break this silence, launching an initiative that gave secondary school students a safe space to openly discuss gender-based violence. Beyond mere definitions, the program helped young people recognise the realities of violence in their communities, understand their rights, and learn about the institutions established to protect them.
Throughout the initiative, 519 students from five secondary schools in Pristina took part in lectures and workshops that combined awareness, education and dialogue. For many, it was the first time that gender-based violence, legal rights and protection mechanisms were discussed openly. Beyond gaining knowledge, students began to build the confidence to recognize abuse and to speak out when something felt wrong. Brochures distributed during the sessions gave students something tangible to revisit privately or share with peers, providing a resource that extended the impact beyond the classroom walls. Teachers voiced strong interest in continuing similar sessions and expressed readiness to integrate gender-sensitive approaches into daily teaching, helping create classrooms rooted in respect and equality.
NORMA knew that increased awareness alone was not enough. To drive lasting change, the initiative engaged also with the Municipal Directorate of Education, as well as 15 school principals, 10 teachers and school psychologists, to ensure institutions became part of the solution. These meetings opened space to discuss how schools could respond to gender-based violence and build trust between students and professionals. Teachers also reviewed textbooks and teaching methods through a gender-sensitive lens, acknowledging that the way lessons are delivered and materials are written can either reinforce harmful silences or promote equality and respect.
What began as a series of meetings grew into a wider movement. Teachers, psychologists and school leaders left with a stronger sense of responsibility, while students walked away not only with knowledge but with the confidence that their voices matter. Step by step, awareness was transformed into institutional commitment, and schools in Pristina began taking real steps toward becoming safe spaces free from gender-based violence.
NORMA Lawyers Association’s initiative “Learn and Act for a Society Free of Gender-Based Violence” 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 €4,970, from October 2021 to March 2022. The initiative contributed directly to KWN’s Programme “Gender Transformative Education”.
