KWN members Learn Why and How to Use Digital Media

On Nov. 16, KWN organized the workshop, Utilizing Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The workshop was led by Doruntinë Demiri, Zana Cana and Genc Bokshi from Ipko Foundation. With the inclusion of their trainers, the Ipko Foundation supported KWN’s members in building their capacities. 
Doruntinë Demiri opened the workshop, and she informed participants of the principles of social media, its impact, and effective strategies for using it.   
  “Years ago the advocacy for sensitive cases of a society were made in form of protest and joint meetings, but today the strength of the advocacy in world is concentrated in another form – in distributing the information through digital tools,” said Demiri. 
   Demiri emphasized that in order to be successful advocates, participants of the workshop need to use media. Using media is necessary because you can reach more people, and you can also encourage people to join that cause. You can find more information about this strategy by clicking here. 
  During the second part of the workshop, participants learned more about how to use tools and social media channels, as well as how to plan concrete steps for their initiatives in the future. 
This workshop was supported by European Union Office in Kosovo. 

Students, Activists, Policy-makers Discuss Feminist Economics at UBT

 For one of the first times in Kosovo, feminist economics was discussed at a well-attended conference on Gender and Economics at the University of Business and Technology (UBT) in Prishtina. The conference was co-organized by UBT, the Austrian-Kosovo Association, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) and the Gender Studies and Research Program at the University of Prishtina. KWN organized one of the panels, which sought to foster discussion surrounding feminist economics. 
Edmond Hajrizi, UBT Rector, provided the opening remarks. He highlighted the importance of research and innovation, as well as the promotion of gender equality in the economy. To this end, he announced of the official establishment of the UBT Gender Economics Centre. 
Then, Ulrike Lunacek, Vice-President of the European Parliament and Special Rapporteur on Kosovo     emphasized the importance of education for women to realize their rights. She observed that young boys play soccer and learn to play as a team towards achieving a shared goal, even if they do not like each other. Women tend not to have these opportunities, and this transfers over into their work in politics and business later in life.  She also noted the need for men to take on more roles at home, which would enable women to spend more time at work. Men would benefit as well, by having more time to spend with their children. 
 Jeta Krasniqi from the Office of the President of the Republic of Kosovo also spoke about the importance of women’s economic empowerment. 
   Then, Zogaj Gashi, Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Economic Development, announced that the Ministry is planning a pilot project, Employment of Women Online, which is expected to generate 20,000 jobs for women. 
   Sigrid Meyer from the Promoting Private Sector Employment (PPSE) project, introduced SMART Economics, a project to promote equal economic opportunities for women. She also introduced PPSE’s social media campaign “#edhetimundesh” and “#itimozes,” which seeks to encourage men and women to support women’s employment. KWN member Sylbije Sahiti from Parajsa Jone was featured in one of the short films about successful women. 
   Merita Limani, USAID Property Rights Program Gender and Property Rights Specialist, noted that the insufficient implementation of the Law of Inheritance impeded women’s economic empowerment. Due to cultural barriers, few women realize their right to inheritance. Thus, few women possess property in their name. 
Then, during the KWN-organized panel on Feminist Economics: Concepts and Theory, Dr. Vjollca Krasniqi from the University of Prishtina offered a feminist critique of mainstream economics. She emphasized the importance of changing macroeconomic policies to make them more gender responsive.
   Nicole Farnsworth, KWN Lead Researcher, explained the meaning of heterodox economics, feminist economics and some of the policy relevant theories that have been put forth by feminist economists. She then presented a working paper by herself, Nerina Guri and Donjeta Morina entitled “The Cost of Care,” which examines the impact care work may have on women’s labour force participation in Kosovo.  Farnsworth explained that although time, effort and special skills are required for care work, this work is rarely recognized for its effect on the economy.  Women comprise the majority of care givers, which evidence suggests may lead some women to sacrifice school and may contribute to women’s low labour force participation. Farnsworth emphasized the need to establish care centers which would create jobs and enable women’s increased labour force participation as a should-be policy priority. 
   Citing the Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen’s Capabilities Approach, Ada Shima, Project Manager for the UNDP Active Labor Market Program, explained that poverty should not be measured only in terms of monetary value, but also with regard to freedom and the right to choose the life that we want to live. 
   During the second panel, Kerstin Neithammer Juergens, Family Law Expert from the EU Civil Code and Property Rights project offered her views on Kosovo’s new Civil Code, currently being drafted, focusing on the Family Law. 
  Mirlinda Purrini-Kusari, Executive Director of SHE-ERA, emphasized the need for government funding for projects that increase women’s employment and ensure equal opportunities in the workforce. 
  Lastly, Donjeta Morina from KWN gave a presentation on gender responsive budgeting. Morina explained its importance for policy-making and a simple methodology that can be used. 
This conference received funding from Swiss Cooperation in Kosovo via Swisscontact through the Promoting Private Sector Employment (PPSE) project.

KWN Trains Correctional, Probation Services in Kosovo

 On 9 Nov. the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) was invited by the EU Twinning Project “Re-Offending Prevention Program (RPP)”, to train officials from Correctional and Probations Services in Kosovo. The training involved 20 social workers and probation officers.  
   Participants learned about rehabilitation programs for specific types of offenders, including sexual offenders, domestic violence offenders and drug abusers. 
   Adelina Berisha, Research Assistant at KWN, gave a training on basic concepts of gender and gender equality. She shared her expertise on the topics of domestic violence and sexual harassment. She also informed officials regarding the legal obligations Correctional and Probation Services have in treating these two issues. She shared main findings from KWN’s forthcoming report on domestic violence entitled No More Excuses.       
    During the training, challenges in implementing the legal framework for both of these institutions were analysed. Further, participants were informed about the importance of cooperating with civil society, particularly shelters for persons who have suffered domestic violence. Another important issue addressed during this training session was treatment of offenders and perpetrators of domestic violence. The training focused on the responsibilities that each of the institutions has in providing such treatment and strategies for offering these services. 
Participants were satisfied with the training, noting that this was their first time to discuss domestic violence and sexual violence specifically.

 

KWN Advocates for Gender Equality and Women’s issues in Brussels

 From 4-6 of Nov., various women’s rights activists from the Western Balkans met in Brussels to advocate for women’s issues in their respective countries. Participants included women’s rights activists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
   In the course of three days, participants met with various representatives from the Directorate General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Committee for Foreign Affairs at the European Parliament, Mara Marinaki, Principal Adviser on Gender and Security at the EU, the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands at the EU, and the Permanent Representation of Sweden at the EU.

Issues raised by KWN included, but were not limited:
  • The need to improve gender mainstreaming in the progress report, since gender issues and women’s rights are almost exclusively mentioned in the Human Rights chapter. Mainstreaming gender through the progress report is very important, as it will make issues pertaining to gender inequality a priority for the government of Kosovo
  • Women’s insufficient participation in the political dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia
  • Women’s overall underrepresentation in decision-making structures in Kosovo
  • The issue of EU funding (particularly funding from the Instrument of Pre-Accession), as there are currently insufficient processes in place to review whether gender has been sufficiently mainstreamed throughout action documents or sectoral planning documents
  • Gender impact analysis of enlargement processes
  • Kosovo’s political status, which makes it difficult to sign and enforce EU and other conventions pertaining to violence against women (e.g. Istanbul Convention), and other conventions pertaining to women’s rights
EU representatives acknowledged their large role in pressuring governments to improve gender equality and women’s empowerment. They promised to have more in-depth consultation with women’s CSO’s. Notably, representatives from the desk office for Kosovo at DG NEAR admitted that there is more space to consult civil society while drafting the progress report. While it is too late to influence the 2015 progress report (as it will be published next week), representatives from the EU Parliament said that they will discuss the progress report in December/January, and will include comments from the KWN in the report.
This advocacy initiative was supported by Kvinna till Kvinna and their effort of bringing Balkan’s women’s CSO’s advocacy initiatives closer to the European Union.

Balkan Women’s Activists trained on advocating at the EU level

 From November 2-3, women’s rights activists from all over the Western Balkans gathered in Brussels to enhance their advocacy skills at the EU level. While many of the women have been involved in advocacy and lobbying for many years, the training aimed at specifically enhancing their advocacy and lobbying towards the European Union. 
   The trainer, Constanza de Toma, was a former lobbyist for reproductive and sexual rights in the EU, as well as the assistant of a former Member of the European Parliament. Her experience was very crucial as she was an expert on both sides: on the inside and on the outside of the EU. 
   “EU lobbying is quite different from other forms of advocacy. You have to know how to approach your targets, learn to speak their language of “Eurospeak,” and know exactly when and to whom to raise your issues," said training facilitator Constanza de Toma. 
   The first day included information on what the European Union is, what it does, and how it is set up. Further information was provided on the main institutions comprising the EU, and what their work, responsibilities, and competences entail. Participants delved into discussing EU acquis and what that means for women’s rights. A critical assessment of EU’s gender perspective was also part of the discussion. 
De Toma also discussed and critically evaluated the legislative procedures of EU, through which legislation is made, ratified, and implemented. Participants discussed when and how a gender perspective can be integrated in this process. 
Day 2, on the other hand, focused more on strengthening advocacy. The training focused on the advocacy cycle of rights. Developing a “Theory of Change” was a crucial part of this training. 
Some of the most important “How to Lobby at the EU” information included the following advice: 

Preparing for a lobby meeting

  • Be clear on what you want to get out of the meeting; provide 3 – 4 clear and specific objectives
  • Prepare before meeting, including deciding how you will appeal to the decision makers and respond to their counter arguments
  • Think about your targets as individuals, get to know what makes them tick, and tailor your arguments accordingly – this may entail appealing to them on different levels, e.g. rationality, sympathy/feeling, moral identity, enlightened self-interest, benefits to their institution/personal stature
  • If appropriate, prepare a one page note outlining your key messages and advocacy objectives to leave at the end of the meeting. You may want to consider translating materials into other key EU languages to have broader reach with MEPs and across member states
At a lobby meeting:
  • Think about dress-code – while this is culturally/politically specific, particularly at the EP, the basic rule is to dress appropriately so you feel comfortable and the decision maker will take you seriously
  • Never be late and allow sufficient time for security clearance before the meeting when necessary
  • Meet beforehand with your delegation to decide who will lead the meeting, your key points, tactics and who will say what, and who will keep minutes
  • Ensure your leader starts and ends by thanking the decision maker for his/her time, help keep the meeting  to time, do introductions, recap agenda, agree whether comments and minutes are on or off the record, confidential etc.
  • At the start of the meeting ensure that someone is allocated the task of summing up and agreeing next steps, and that they do this once the meeting is drawing to close
  • Make 3-4 key concise and specific points, avoid long list of demands
  • Ensure you make clear and realistic proposals, not just criticisms
  • Use reasoned, evidence based arguments, rather than emotive or subjective language
  • Be assertive – neither overly deferential nor lecturing, aggressive or insulting
  • Be objective and calm, but persistent
  • Establish a dialogue; do not dominate the meeting yourself, but try not to allow your target to dominate either
  • Listen, ask questions, make suggestions to engage your target and build trust
  • Show respect for other people’s points of views, even when you disagree with them
  • Be sensitive to a change of mood on their part (agreement, anger, boredom) and change tack accordingly
  • Know when to stop, learn to judge how far you can push a particular argument and when it’s time to movie on
  • Criticize bad policies but don’t launch personalized attacks on decision makers
After your meeting:
  • Have a de-briefing with your delegation
  • Always follow up with a letter thanking the decision maker for the meeting and noting points of agreement and next steps.
The two day training was supported by Kvinna till Kvinna and their effort of bringing Balkan’s women’s CSO’s advocacy initiatives closer to the European Union.

 

Freja Forum 2015 to Open in Kosovo

Today at 18:00, the Regional Conference “Freja Forum 2015” will hold its official opening ceremony at Hotel Sirius in Prishtina. Media are welcome to attend.

Freja Forum is a platform for networks and cooperation among civil society orgnanisations (CSOs) in the Western Balkans, Turkey and the European Union (EU).

In November every year, the Freja Forum is held somewhere in the Balkans to discuss issues on equal opportunities, democracy, civil society development and capacity building for CSOs.

This year, the Freja Forum will be held in Kosovo for the first time, on 6 to 8 November. Themes will include equal opportunities, democracy and an open society.

For more detailed information on the Freja Forum 2015, please click here.  

Anti-Militarism, Support Women’s NGOs: KWN Director Contributes to 15 Year Global Study on 1325

As a member of the High-level Advisory Group for the Study on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (2000), the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) Executive Director Igballe Rogova made several contributions to this important study, which has informed UNSCR 2242 (2015).
Requested by the Secretary General of the UN and led by Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Global Study was commissioned to mark the 15th Anniversary of UNSCR 1325. UN Women served as the Secretariat for the Study and a High-Level Advisory Group involving representatives from around the world supported the study and contributed to its content, drawing from their extensive experiences. In close consultation with women’s rights activists and other actors throughout the region, Rogova represented South East Europe in the Advisory Group and study. The widespread consultations for the study involved input from more than 60 Member States; international organizations; 47 civil society organizations, academics and research institutes; and a survey of 317 civil society organizations in 71 countries.
In addition to supporting the organization of regional consultations, Rogova collaborated with other members of the Advisory Board to advocate for address of several key points in the recently published final report: Preventing Conflict, Transforming Justice, Securing the Peace: A Global Study on the Implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2015).
Among the issues emphasized by Rogova and other Advisory Group members was the need for attention to militarism and the impact that funding weapons and wars ultimately has on women. KWN often has emphasized that funding weapons and military spending is the “elephant in the room”: a gigantic factor undermining women’s security, but which few people have the political will or courage to talk about publicly.
In the end, the report strongly reflected the importance of addressing militarism, concluding: “Women spoke with one voice from every continent to convey a key message to the Security Council: the United Nations must take the lead in stopping the process of militarization and militarism that began in 2001 in an ever-increasing cycle of conflict. The normalization of violence at the local, national and international levels must cease.”
Rogova, among other Advisory Group members also emphasized that the study must highlight the importance of supporting women’s rights groups who play crucial roles in protecting women affected by violence, furthering security for women, treating women who have suffered violent crimes, raising awareness about gender-based violence within diverse communities, advocating for justice for persons affected by war. The Study thus concludes, “Supporting women peacebuilders and respecting their autonomy is one important way to counter extremism,” and “the persistent failure to adequately finance the women, peace and security agenda must be addressed.”
South East Europe and Kosovo specifically is represented in the final report with references to Women in Black, the Regional Women’s Lobby for Peace, Security and Justice in South East Europe, steps taken towards addressing sexual violence and Kosovo Police, among others. KWN’s report 1325 Facts & Fablesalso is cited among the sources informing the report.
As a result of this repot, on 13 Oct., the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2242 (2015). According to a Statement by UN Women, this new Resolution “places the women, peace and security agenda as a central component of our efforts to address the challenges of the current global context, including rising violent extremism, climate change, and unprecedented numbers of displaced people. The resolution makes clear the substantive links between women’s participation and sustainable peace and security; and provides an extraordinary new tool for all actors to further implement this agenda and the objectives of the Security Council.” This is the eighth Security Council Resolution focusing on women, peace and security.
 

Women Should Dare to Seek their Rights Guaranteed by the Law

 The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) in cooperation with Kosovo Lobby for Gender Equality has started the campaign I DARE to promote legal frameworks that protect women and girls from discrimination, domestic violence, sexual harassment and other forms of gender based violence. I DARE is also part of the Project for Promotion of Women’s Rights. 
            I DARE is play that is being performed to combat the unfortunate reality that although Kosovo does have the legal frameworks in place to protect women’s rights, such laws are not always enforced or implemented. The play should be seen as a way for women to express their frustration with the lack of protection from the law, in addition to being a way of raising awareness of the need for such laws to be enforced. This campaign’s goal is for women to raise their voice, to seek enforcement of their legal rights, and to speak freely about the injustices that they experienced over the past years due to the lack of enforcement of the law. 
   The actors of I DARE are Kumrie Hoxha, Makfire Miftari, Florentina Ademi, Safete Rogova, and Molika Maxhuni. The play itself consists of five different monologues where a mother cries for her son who was lost during the war, a young bride recalls her personal experience of being raped during the war, a woman cries over her past with her violent husband, a young girl who suffered from sexual harassment when she was looking for a job, and a daughter that seeks her right to inherit family property. Although the play as a whole describes the unfortunate reality that girls and women face in their daily life, the ending is quite positive and empowering. All of the mentioned personal stories encourage girls and women to acknowledge their rights and to use legislation if they face any violation of their rights. 
   Through these stories, audience members learned more about the laws that are in place in the Republic of Kosova, such as Anti-Discrimination Law, Law on Gender Equality, Law on Protection against Domestic Violence, and the Law on Inheritance. 
   During October I DARE  will also be shown in the municipalities of Rogove, Lipjan, Drenas, Viti, dhe Prizren. Meanwhile in November in Kacanik, Vushtrri, Decan and Malisheve. This campaign is being supported by the Dutch Embassy.

Domestic Violence Research 2015

 On February 18th 2015, KWN started its second project to research domestic violence. The research consisted of interviews of 1300 Kosovar citizens and around 200 representatives of institutions. This is a follow up research initiative to the initial research that was conducted and published in 2008. The purpose of the research was to see the prevalence of domestic violence in the Kosovar society, to monitor the implementation of the Strategy and National Action Plan against Domestic Violence, and measure any changes since 2008. The results of the research will be presented in a full report that will be published in the coming weeks. 

Ground Breaking Research to Inform New Labour Law

True or false: Due to discrimination in hiring, the maternity leave provisions in Kosovo are contributing to unemployment among women? How much are businesses suffering financially from maternity leave provisions? Are men discriminated against considering the short time allotted for paternity leave? KWN believes that these and other questions pertaining to the Labour Law have not been sufficiently answered by existing research. 
Therefore, KWN is currently conducting research with the aim of informing the new Labour Law with evidence-based findings on topics such as maternity leave and paternity leave. This includes conducting over 400 interviews with small, medium, and large employers, collecting data from men and women through an online survey, and reaching men and women from rural areas through the same survey in hard copy. Driven by an official request from the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Arban Abrashi, KWN is working on the aforementioned influential policy changing research. In addition, the research is essential due to KWN’s belief that the new Labour Law should be drafted with citizens’ needs in mind. As no public consultations concerning this law have taken place yet, this is an important opportunity for Kosovo citizens to express their ideas and concerns related to this law and the policies stemming from it which directly affect their daily lives. KWN has not received any funding or donation for this initiative, and it is dependent on citizens’ willingness to share and participate in the surveys. The results of this research will be launched in early November.
Ongoing support to KWN from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the EU has enabled KWN staff members to set aside some of their time  for this much-needed research. However, the bulk of the work has been completed thanks to KWN team members working overtime and our dedicated volunteers: Dije Rizvanolli, Miranda Muharremi and Mirjeta Dibrani. Also, this research would not have been possible without the hard work of surveyors who conducted interviews with employers: Abetare Qarri, Beshir Seferi, Diana Mustafa, Drilona Gashi, Elona Osmani, Gentiana Cani, Ibrahim Kelmendi, Jetbardha Selmani, Luan Bajraj, Nazife Sopa, Nora Kelmendi, Qendrim Thaqi, Rinor Kutllovci, Rrita Mustafa, Skord Retkoceri, Shkendie Maxhuni, Visar Fejza, Yllka Bega, Ymer Latifi and Zana Smajli.