On 17 August, Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPMDK) held an informative meeting with persons with muscular dystrophy and their family members. Director Antigona Shestan informed the attendees of the purpose of the project and activities they will carry out during the 5 months of project implementation.
Organised by Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), on Friday Aug. 4, starting from 10:00, around 50 activists, civil society organization representatives and citizens organized to peacefully protest in front of Justice Palace, to demand maximum sentence for Nebih Berisha, killer of Zejnepe Berisha domestic violence act victim.
Since the justice institutions were not responding appropriately, after numerous reactions, including the April 14 protest (#drejtësipërzejnepen), KWN engaged lawyer Fehmira Gashi Bytyqi to represent Zejnepes family. As a result, following appeal by Zejnepes family representative, the Appeals Court in Pristina has decided to hold a hearing on August 4 at 10:00.
After Zejnepe was killed, with the decision of the Basic Court of Prizren on Apr. 12, the killer of the victim of domestic violence was sentenced to only 12 years in prison. The Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo, in Article 179 on Serious Murder states that "A punishment of not less than ten (10) years of imprisonment or life imprisonment shall be punishable by a person who: … 1.3. Deprives family member of life ". Taking into account the circumstances of the murder, the weight of the offense and systematic violence the victim had experienced, KWN had considered this decision as not propitious to the offense, therefore deciding to engage above-mentioned lawyer.
Taking into account all the circumstances, the Court of Appeals approved the appeal of the prosecution and the representative of the injured party, amending the decision on the punishment. This court, the assassin of Zejnepe Berisha, sentenced to 17 years in prison for "Serious Murder" under Article 179 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo and "Light Body Injury" by Article 188 of the same code.
KWN believes that with fair decisions, justice can influence the reduction of violence, respectively crime, considering that domestic violence is a crime!
Teuta worked hard ever since she was a little girl. Being an independent woman who wanted to make a change in her community, she decided to pursue a career in education. For 30 years now, she has worked as a teacher in Gjakova.
Teuta continued to work after she was married, unlike many women of her generation who chose to leave their jobs. She became the sole breadwinner in the 1990’s after her husband was laid off and continued to support her family for the next two decades. She paid the bills and invested in the family house, but she never felt entitled to ask her husband to register their house as a shared property, fearing her community or family would judge her.
One day she came across an event that a women’s group had organized in her town to raise awareness about property rights. Teuta noted that Femrat Aktive të Gjakovës (FAGj),a member organization of the Kosovo Women’s Network, gave her the courage she lacked her whole life. “Suddenly I felt I needed to raise my voice for what is mine, and I decided, I don’t care what others think, I’m going to talk to my husband about our house,” said Teuta.
They filed a request to register their property in the name of the both spouses which is now in its final phase. Thinking back about her case, Teuta says she feels frustrated no one had ever talked to her about her rights. Maybe if they had, she would have started the process sooner.
“I will never make the same mistake with my two sons and their wives,” she promises. “I will talk to all of them, make sure they exercise their rights granted by law, as I am doing now after 25 years.”
Teuta is one of the 15 womenFAGJhelped reclaim their rights to property and inheritance since January 2017. In total, 150 women have received legal help about their property from the Kosovo Women’s Network, which began its efforts in May 2016 with funding by PPSE Swiss Contact.
Time Zenuni is a 49-year-old single mother of four who tragically lost her husband during the war in Kosovo in 1999. She had to work hard to raise her three daughters and one son without their father, and without much familial support.
She felt that her hard work and creativity could pay off, so four years ago, she started making postcards, packages, and envelopes. However, she struggled to get a loan and could not afford to register her business.
Her land was in the name of her mother-in-law, who had long passed away, and Time had nothing to use as collateral for a bank loan. It wasn’t until she met with a Nora Shehu from Medica Kosova that the single mother learned about her property rights. Representatives from Medica Kosova informed Time that she could register the land in her name and walked her through the procedure.
Time has filed the papers to inherit the property, and her case is in its final steps. Once she receives her title to the land, the single mother wants to expand her business. “I want to invest in my business. After my case is completed, I can apply for a loan from the bank, since I will have property to pledge as collateral.” But this is not all. Her land, located in the Dobrosh village, is blessed with fertile soil and a warm climate that is well-suited for agriculture. Time now hopes to grow walnuts, and her sisters-in-law Florie and Behigje, who have also received legal help from Medica Kosova to register their property, plan to cultivate raspberries. “I checked the open calls in September, and we will apply there for a grant to start cultivating walnuts and raspberries in Dobrosh in Gjakova,” says Time.
Time, Florie, and Behgjie feel that they are setting an example and empowering other women in their village with their work. And they’re not the only women that received free legal support. Thus far, Kosovo Women’s Network with support of PPSE Swiss Contact has helped 150 women initiate action to register or inherit real property.
Fatime Limaj from Banjë, Malisheva, defeated cancer, but her prolonged battle left its scars. What began as a treatment for an abdominal tumor led to complications that claimed her foot. She is now cancer free, but unable to find work because of her disability.
Although Kosovo law guarantees protection and benefits for the disabled, the government has turned its back on Fatime.
With three children at home, an unemployed husband, and no income, she began to work her family’s land. She couldn’t apply for loans, nor did she qualify for any of the grants from the government or international donors. The land was not in her name, and she had no money to register as owner.
She learned by word of mouth that a nonprofit group had begun assisting married couples register their shared property for free, covering all their administrative costs. Fatime talked to her husband about it, and they both decided to apply. With the support of Arta Shushka, the coordinator of the Open Door Association, Fatime registered her house as shared spousal property and her land as her own separate property.
Now Fatime wants to apply for grants to double her arable land. “I think I will get the grants,” she says, “since I now have 20 more points according to the ministry’s application, just for having my own land.”
She is also contemplating using solar energy to raise crops all year through and employ more women in need.
“Right now I can only hire five women during the summer. I usually try to find women who are heads of household and help them. I intend to employ more workers in the future.”
Parents of a daughter and two sons, Fatime and her husband want their children to inherit equal shares of their property.
“I have three children. I don’t care if they are girls or boys, they are still my children, and their sex does not determine their worth to me. They are all the same in my eyes.”
Thus far, Kosovo Women’s Network with support of PPSE Swiss Contact has helped 150 women initiate action to register or inherit real property.
Dua has left behind her wonderful and supportive husband, Halit; children Diella and Alpi; and the Kadriu and Dauti families from Prishtina, Gjilan and Prizren. We share our most heart-felt condolences with her family. Dua will forever live on in our hearts, memories and work.
On 1 July 2017, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) held its members bimonthly meeting, and it was attended by representatives of member organizations, staff members, Board members and other supporters of KWN.
Starting from July, the Centre for Promotion of Women’s Rights (CPRW) in Drenas, in partnership with the Centre for Promotion of a Healthy Family (CPHF) in Prishtina, for four months will implement the project “Empowering survivors of sexual violence during the war toward achieving their legal rights”.