On 10 and 11 September, BIRN and the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), as part of their partnership on the Violence Intervention through Safe and Informed Media Action project, organized the regional training “Gender-Responsive Reporting and Digital Violence against Women” in Durrës, Albania. The training brought together journalists and media professionals from across the Western Balkans to strengthen ethical and gender-responsive reporting on violence against women, including technology-facilitated forms of violence. 

Adelina Berisha, Program Director for Addressing Gender-Based Violence, and Melisa Kadolli, Legal Coordinator and Court Monitor on gender-based violence cases, represented KWN at the training. KWN developed and delivered two key sessions for participants: “Media Reporting on Gender-Based Violence, with a Particular Focus on Technology-Facilitated Violence against Women” and “Understanding Trends, Risks, and Ways of Responding to Violence against Women in the Digital Age.” 

During the sessions delivered by KWN, participants discussed the concept of gender-based violence and technology-facilitated violence against women, the most common forms of such violence, and how these forms can be identified and appropriately reflected in media reporting. 

An important part of the sessions focused on the use of gender-sensitive language when reporting on violence against women, as well as ways to avoid victim-blaming, stereotypes, and language that may normalize or minimize violence. 

The sessions also addressed which women are particularly vulnerable to technology-facilitated violence, as well as the role of artificial intelligence in creating and spreading new forms of violence against women. 

They also covered the challenges of legal and institutional responses to digital violence, prevention and digital safety measures, and the role of the media in reporting cases of violence against women in an ethical, accurate, and responsible manner. 

Through its contribution to this regional training, KWN shared its expertise and experience with journalists and media professionals from across the Western Balkans, helping strengthen their capacity to identify and report responsibly on violence against women, including technology-facilitated forms of violence.