3 December marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.   

As in previous years, this important date for human rights was marked by four member organisations of the Kosova Women’s Network (KWN).  

On December 3, in Prizren, Organisation of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosova (OPMDK) gathered representatives of institutions, women politicians, representatives of civil society, and activists who work for the rights of persons with disabilities.  

During this symbolic activity of OPMDK, some women and girls with disabilities were certified for jewellery business. KWN and OPMDK are now at the end of the third year of cooperation to improve the participation of women with disabilities in politics and decision-making processes, through the initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics“. 

Also, the other KWN member organization, Art Without Limit, held the closing ceremony of the Art Without Limit Film Festival on December 3 at the National Theatre in Prishtina, during which 50 films from around the world were screened. See HERE the full list of winners. 
KWN has consistently supported Art Without Limit in their quest for equality, and recently this organization has benefited from the 15th round of the Kosova Women’s Fund with the initiative “Empowering People with Disabilities through Art”.  

Meanwhile, “You Can Do”, had chosen to mark December 3 with a “Dark Dinner,” which aimed to get participants to share with the community of people blind, emphasizing the challenges they face every day. The event was attended by ministers, deputy ministers, MPs, professors and other personalities, who assessed that more work needs to be done so that this community, but in general the community of people with disabilities, can be fully integrated into society. 
You can find the full story HERE.  

The challenges of the blind community in Kosova were also addressed by another KWN member organisation, the “Kosova Independent Initiative for Blind People (KIIBP)”. They marked December 3 together with the Institution of the Ombudsperson, where representatives of civil society, institutions, and the international community were invited. 

The Ombudsperson, Naim Qelaj, emphasised that it is very important that this community also has the rights and life that everyone in Kosova has. Whereas, Halil Kurmehaj, Executive Director of KIIBP, said that for the persons of this community economic independence and support from institutions is crucial. 

The evening continued with conversations with blind persons, and listening to the problems they face on a daily basis.

KWN, through member organisations throughout Kosova, has consistently supported initiatives that improve the social, economic, and political participation of this community. 

However, according to KWN’s Gender Analysis, people of all ages face different challenges. Children, especially girls, have problems accessing education. Gender imbalance is also observed in the labour market, where mostly women find it difficult to get employed. Moreover, the Law on Employment of Persons with Disabilities, which foresees the employment of one person with disabilities for every fifty employees, is still not sufficiently implemented. 

For more information on gender inequalities in different sectors in Kosova, read KWN’s Gender Analysis, which is available on our website in Albanian, English, and Serbian.