Kosovo Shares Experience Assisting Survivors of Sexual Violence

 On behalf of the President of Kosovo’s National Council for Survivors of Sexual Violence during the War, KWN Executive Director Igballe Rogova shared the experience of Kosovo at a high level conference on “Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Conflict – a Legacy for Post-Conflict Transformation, Sustainable Development and Peace” on 11 Nov. in Bern, Switzerland.

    During her panel, Rogova provided a brief history of the long struggle of women’s rights activists and organizations in advocating for justice and protection for women who suffered sexual violence during the war in Kosovo. This included extensive advocacy for women’s voices to be heard in post-conflict decision-making processes organized by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and for UNMIK itself to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. UNMIK failed to protect documentation of sexual violence perpetrated or to push for justice, she said. These issues and women’s rights activists’ struggles are detailed in the KWN book 1325 Facts and Fables.
    Advocacy since the passage of UNSCR 1325 in 2000 finally led the Government of Kosovo to adopt an Action Plan for the Implementation of Resolution 1325 in the Republic of Kosovo in Feb. 2014. Further, amendments to Law no. 04/L-054 on the status and the rights of the martyrs, invalids, veterans, members of Kosovo Liberation Army, sexual violence victims of the war, civilian victims and their families in 2014 now provide for recognition of and services for women who suffered sexual violence during the war. This has contributed to some slow shifts in public perceptions and efforts towards an improved institutional response, including through the President of Kosovo’s newly established National Council for Survivors of Sexual Violence.
    Rogova also introduced the film “Three windows and a hanging” about sexual violence perpetrated against women during the war in Kosovo.  
During the conference, participants discussed “strategies on how to become more effective in implementing the commitments under the UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and the Swiss National Action Plan 1325 to protect women’s and girl’s rights in fragile and conflict-affected countries.” 
Other panellists included Zainab Hawa Bangura, Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; Manuel Sager, Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); Dr. Monika Hauser, founder and executive member of the board of medica mondiale; Ursula Salesse, Project Director at SDC; Dalia Abd Elhameed, head of the gender program at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights; Danaé van der Straten Ponthoz, a consultant on sexual violence and legal adviser for Track Impunity Always (TRIAL); and Karen Barnes, an independent consultant and a Research Associate in the Politics and Governance team of the Overseas Development Institute.
The conference was organized by the Swiss government and SDC Swiss Development Cooperation 
 

KWN Receives EU Support for First Time

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN)is pleased to officially announce that on 12 Nov. and 10 Dec., for the first time, we signed two contracts with the European Union (EU) Office in Kosovo.
The two-year “Strengthening Women-led Civil Society Organizations in Kosovo” Initiative is set to begin on 1 Jan. 2015 and to continue through 31 Dec. 2016. The purpose of the project is to strengthen local civil society organizations’ (CSOs) capacities; increase participation; and improve quality of input in decision and policy making processes at the local level.
Through this initiative, KWN will achieve the following expected results:
  1. KWN members will be better able to plan, fundraise for, and undertake effective advocacy initiatives at the local level;
  2. KWN members will involve more women in decision-making processes, particularly in rural areas and from minority or marginalized groups.
KWN will achieve these aims through interactive workshops and individualized mentoring for its members; bimonthly meetings; transparently distributing at least 25 grants to women-led CSOs amounting to €100,000; networking; awareness-raising; and advocacy.
While the second initiative "Strengthening the role of women in civil society organizations in promoting women’s rights and participation in political" will start on 1 January 2016 and will continue until December 31, 2017.
Through this initiative, KWN will achieve the following expected results:
  1. Diverse women and girls’ participation and representation in politics and decision-making at municipal and national levels increased.
  2. Women-led organizations better able to plan, fundraise for, network towards, and undertake effective advocacy initiatives towards women’s and girls’ human rights and participation in decision-making at municipal and national levels via the KWF.
  3. KWL strengthened to plan, network towards, and undertake effective advocacy initiatives at municipal and national levels.
  4. More meetings between women/girls and policy-makers.
  5. More and better informed media coverage of issues important to women.
      KWN will achieve these aims through interactive workshops and individualized mentoring for its     members; bimonthly meetings; transparently distributing at least 21 grants to women-led CSOs amounting to €104,000; networking; awareness-raising; and advocacy.
The EU’s support will be crucial in contributing to the implementation of KWN’s recently adopted Strategy for 2015-2018.
 
 
 
 

Prishtina Citizens Take Back the Night

The pouring rain didn’t stop hundreds of citizens from gathering to raise their voices against sexual harassment in public spaces, as part of the #TakeBackTheNight campaign organized by FamACT, a KWN-supported initiative.  Women and men united to symbolically mark the beginng of the fight against sexual harassment in public spaces.
On 22 Nov., the Feminist Forum FemACT initiated a debate in social media as part of the campaign #TakeBackTheNight(#NataËshtëEJona)  
 which involved statements about women’s right to enter public spaces without harassment.
    Each day messages were posted on their Facebook statuses by dozens of women and men until the march took place on 29 Nov.
The campaign triggered different reactions: positive and negative. The unification and mobilizing of women and girls, men and boys, regardless of their age and profession, was inspiring for those who supported the #TakeBackTheNight campaign.
    “Bravo for taking this much needed initiative” said one supporter, “congratulations on being brave enough to initiate this discussion, and thank you for motivating us so much. I loved the idea and wish you all the best in your future endeavors related to combating sexual harassment”- she added 
The campaign also involved a video filmed with a hidden camera that shows a woman being harassed by different men 50 times during a single day while walking in Prishtina. This video was screened after the march and in three days has received more than 83,400 views on YouTube. To see the video, click here.
      “We cannot expect to have a just and safe society for all, when we think it is ok that half of the population feel unsafe in our public spaces” – added a supporter of the campaign “No one should be afraid to walk around the city by themselves, it is common sense to support this campaign” – he added.  
KWN will continue to organize and support initiatives against sexual violence in public spaces.
 

 

KWN Participates in Workshop Reviewing Human Rights Draft Laws

 On 12, 13, and 14 Nov., representatives from civil society, international organizations and legal gathered for a very important workshop in Peja: to review three human rights-related draft laws. This included the draft law on protection against discrimination, the Law on Gender Equality and the Law on the Ombudsperson. Donjeta Morina represented KWN’s consolidated comments at the meeting.
     Among the comments, KWN requested that gender equality officers in ministries and municipalities be placed at the highest decision-making level (and not within human resource departments). This is important so that they can mainstream gender in all policies, plans, programs, budgets and work of the institutions in which they serve (which is not possible from a human resource position).
    Second, KWN called for the Law on Gender Equality to more clearly set forth mechanisms for reporting violations of the law and more stringent sanctions for violations of the law. At present, the Law offers little benefit or compensation to persons seeking to report gender-based discrimination. The lack of teeth for    enforcement in the current Law has been noted as a potential hindrance to its implementation.     Third, KWN requested that the Law include proper definitions of the terms women/female and men/male. The definitions of the former (socially-determined gender roles) and latter (biological sex) were frequently confused within the Law. KWN also recommended clarifying terminology relating to transgender persons, gender identity, gender and biological sex. The other laws also had issues with phrasing from a gender perspective. For example, the ombudsperson was frequently referred to as “Ombudsman” and “he”. Participants requested that these mistakes be corrected.
“Reviewing these three draft laws together is very important,” said Besim M. Kajtazi, Director of the Legal Office in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, who moderated the first two days of the workshop. “These three laws represent one single package for Human Rights. The quality of this package is very important, especially since it’s one of the criteria set by the EU for visa liberalization.”     On the second day, participants discussed the draft Law on Gender Equality. The third day was moderated by Mr. Baki Gimolli, acting director of the legal department within the Ministry of Justice.
    Each law was reviewed article by article. Most recommendations that were given, when collectively agreed upon, were integrated into the draft law immediately.

“It is great that our comments are being seriously integrated in some of the draft laws. This gives us hope for the future and more sustainable cooperation between government institutions and civil society,” said Ardiana Osmani, a representative from CiviKos.
Whether all comments will be incorporated remains to be seen. 

Young Women Advocate to EU in Brussels for Better Attention to Gender Equality

 During meetings held with European Union (EU) officials in Brussels, young women from Kosovo encouraged the EU to ensure that Progress Reports and EU programs adequately mainstream gender. They also requested for the EU to make public most impact analyses. Requiring that men and women benefit equally from all EU-funded projects would make the EU a better role model for Kosovar institutions, they said .
    The meetings took place as part of a study visit during which approximately 15 young women gathered in Brussels from 10 to 14 Nov. to advocate to EU institutions from a gender perspective. KWN’s Zana Rudi took part.
Organized by Kvinna till Kvinna (KtK), this study visit brought together young women from the western Balkans (Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bosnia Herzegovina), facilitating national and regional collaboration among women’s groups related to the progress report process.
    The first two days focused on EU policies and methods to use in providing input to progress reports through shadow reports. Tidita Fshazi, Expert in European and International Law, explained step by step the EU enlargement process, considering each country’s current situation. She assisted young women to prepare main points to be raised in meetings with EU officials.
     The next three days, the group met with various institutions to advocate their concerns. They met the European Parliament Committee for Foreigner Affairs, European Parliament Committee for Gender Equality, European Peacebuilding Liaison Office and representatives of the Netherlands in the EU, among others. Young women presented their concerns and priorities, offering recommendations.
   

Weapons Production: The Elephant in the Room?

 The continued production of weapons, including with taxpayer monies, is contributing to insecurity at home and abroad.
“We have an elephant in the room,” said Igballe Rogova, KWN Executive Director. “When will we stop pretending it’s not there? We can see it.”
     Rogova was addressing an audience including representatives from European ministries of defence, diplomats, former parliamentarians and academics during a discussion on “Europe at Risk 2.0: new Paradigms for European Security” in Vienna on Nov. 24-25.
The “elephant in the room” is the financial interests behind the production of weapons. In rooms in which security is discussed, these financial interests are often ignored or obscured. Talk around the Women,
Peace and Security agenda that followed the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000 also has said little about the financial interests involved in war and the production of weapons, which continue to undermine women’s (and men’s security).
    Officials have told KWN off-the-record that they support more public discussion surrounding this issue, but that they themselves are not in a position to speak about it openly or publicly.
In speaking about security, Rogova explained that as long as taxpayers’ money is prioritized for military spending and infrastructure projects such as roads (as in Kosovo), people’s human security is undermined.
    “So long as money is spent on roads and military, it is not spent on education, healthcare, childcare or care for the elderly,” Rogova said. “When people live in poverty and are disenfranchised, when people lack human security, this opens the door to ethnic hatreds and religious extremism, which aggressors use in order to maintain power, for their own financial interests. This leads to insecurity: not only growing involvement in terrorist organizations, but human insecurity as well: a general lack of wellbeing in terms of health, education and opportunities.”
She called upon decision-makers to stop seeing security in military terms and to stop funding the manufacturing of all forms of weapons with taxpayer monies.
    During her remarks, Rogova also spoke about visa liberalization. Europe is not respecting Kosovars’ right to freedom of movement, she said, which has several negative consequences. “Kosovo is a ghetto,” she said. “Even activists cannot travel and speak about their experiences because they lack freedom of movement.”
The discussion was organized by the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue, Centre for Liberal Strategies and Directorate for Security Policy of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Defence and Sports. Rogova raised similar issues during a symposium weeks earlier, on Nov. 3-4, entitled “Enhancing Women’s Share in Peace and Security” in Vienna, also organized by the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue.

75 CSO Members Commit to Register Property

 During the KWN retreat in Durres from 7-10 Nov, 75 CSO representatives signed a joint declaration committing to register property in their names, as well as to encourage women in their communities and to work with their staff members to register property in their names.
The initiative was related to the For our common good” campaign, which aims to raise awareness among citizens in the Republic of Kosovo regarding women’s right to register property.  
    In addition to taking part in the “For our common good” campaign, KWN members also learned about the important process of registering illegal constructions. A representative from the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning informed members about legalizing illegally constructed objects.
Illegal constructions (house, buildings, etc.) can be legalized until 5 Feb. 2015. They explained the steps that should be taken to secure a permit for legalization. 
   Legalizing illegal constructions is crucial, they said, because:

 
  1. Your constructed object becomes legal and safe for habitation or use;
  2. The first step is taken towards registering your building in the Cadastre;
  3. Your constructed object may serve as collateral to obtain loans from banks;
  4. Your municipality will plan and deliver services that you need;
  5. You will not have to worry that your constructed object may be torn down.

“If you do not register your non-permitted constructed object, you will lose the opportunity to legalize the constructed object,” said MESP representative.
To apply for legalization of illegal constructions, you should complete a standard form which can be found on the website of your municipality and the website of the Ministry, or you can obtain it in person in your municipality. The completed form should be submitted along with the required documents and evidence of tax payments in the amount of one hundred (100) euros. Only completed applications will be reviewed. Therefore, you must make sure that all documents required by section 10 of the Law on Treatment of constructions without permit (2013/04-L-188)are submitted. This is a unique and important opportunity to register illegal property before its too late!
The For our common good” campaign is being organized under the patronage of the Office of the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Jahjaga, and is supported by the Agency for Gender Equality (AGE) in the Office of the Prime Minister. Several other international organizations and non-governmental organizations including KWN are involved in the campaign coalition, which has been coordinated by GIZ.
    In 2014, only 16.2% of persons registering property were women, and women own only 8.1% of property in Kosovo. Women’s access to property is not only a right guaranteed by law, but also a crucial prerequisite for women’s wellbeing, access to finance and independence.

 
 

Kosovo Lobby for Gender Equality Established

Since 2010, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) has supported Gender Equality Advocacy Groups (GEAG) in several Kosovo municipalities. During the third GEAG meeting, “Women Advocate in Local and Central Level,” on 21-23 Nov. in Struga, Macedonia, 64 women from politics and civil society from 17 municipalities established the Kosovo Lobby for Gender Equality with a declaration signed by all participants. The establishment of the Lobby provides space for men and boys of Kosovo who support equal rights between women and men to join the movement in support of gender equality in Kosovo.
     GEAG representatives reported several advocacy achievements within their municipalities in 2014: informal education for women and girls; employment and self-employment of women; increased participation of women on municipal committees; support for women farmers and businesses; providing mammographies and free check-ups for breast cancer; financing shelters; and the start-up of a reintegration program for gender-based violence survivors. KWN has been supporting their advocacy initiatives towards achieving these aims, among others, in 2014.
     Afterwards, participants divided into groups based on their municipalities to identify three issues for which they will advocate in 2015. Some of the planned initiatives include: raise awareness among women for them to exercise their right to participate in budget policy making; ensure regular, free health check-ups; build day care centres and homes for elderly persons where they do not exist; support women in business; advance women’s position in decision-making; advocate, lobby and monitor the implementation of planned gender responsive budgeting; and support women farmers and their access to support for agriculture.
     During the meeting, Igballe Rogova, KWN Executive Director, also presented the new KWN Strategy for 2015-2018. Participants discussed in particular KWN’s program “Empowering women in politics and decision-making”.
     "KWN’s Strategy includes in a very detailed and clear way all of KWN’s work for the three coming years,” said a participant. “And it is a huge work, so all that is left for us to do is to support you and give our contributions towards achieving it.”
     Further, Nicole Farnsworth, KWN Program Manager, presented on the topic of “Institutionalizing gender responsive budgeting,” offering participants specific techniques and examples. Participants received a Practical Guide handbook by KWN on how to carry out gender responsive budgeting at the local level (printing funded by GIZ).
     “The presentation was very much needed and clear,” said one participant. “Therefore I think the same one should be presented to other officials, in municipalities and ministries throughout Kosovo.”
     This meeting was supported by Austrian Development Agency (ADA) towards empowering more women’s participation in politics and decision-making.

KWN Receives EU Support for First Time

The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) is pleased to officially announce that on 12 Nov., for the first time, we signed a contract with the European Union (EU) Office in Kosovo.
The two-year “Strengthening Women-led Civil Society Organisations in Kosovo” Initiative is set to begin on 1 Jan. 2015 and to continue through 31 Dec. 2016. The purpose of the project is to strengthen local civil society organizations’ (CSOs) capacities; increase participation; and improve quality of input in decision and policy making processes at the local level.

Through this initiative, KWN will achieve the following expected results:

1. KWN members will be better able to plan, fundraise for, and undertake effective advocacy initiatives at the local level
2. KWN members will involve more women in decision-making processes, particularly in rural areas and from minority or marginalized groups

KWN will achieve these aims through interactive workshops and individualized mentoring for its members; bimonthly meetings; transparently distributing at least 25 grants to women-led CSOs amounting to €100,000; networking; awareness-raising; and advocacy.

The EU’s support will be crucial in contributing to the implementation of KWN’s recently adopted Strategy for 2015-2018.

KWN, ADA Sign Three-year Contract to Advance Women’s Rights in Kosovo

On 27 November 2014, The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) announced their continued cooperation for three years via the “Advancing Women’s Rights Initiative”.

Mr. Karlheinz Kopf, the Vice President of the Austrian Parliament; Christian Geosits, Head of Office of ADA in Kosovo; Igballe Rogova, Executive Director of KWN; and Ariana Qosaj-Mustafa, Chair of the KWN Board of Directors, spoke at a press conference yesterday, announcing this continued cooperation. Mr. Johann Brieger, the Ambassador of Austria in Kosovo also attended.

“On behalf of our parliament, allow me to say that we are very happy that our state is supporting the agenda of women’s issues in Kosovo. With this cooperation, today we are opening a new chapter,” said Mr. Karlheinz Kopf. “To have an open society, we need women also to have important decision-making positions. That is why it is important to have organizations such as yours that create opportunities for women. When we support KWN, we are supporting all women and girls of Kosovo.”

The contract was officially signed by Christian Geosits, ADA Head of Office in Kosovo and Igballe Rogova, KWN Executive Director.

“One of the main issues where ADA works is advancing women’s rights,” said Christian Geosits. “We work with partners where we know that the outcome will be what we were hoping for in the beginning. We found a very strong, I think the strongest actor in this country for women’s rights in the Kosovo Women’s Network.”

The Advancing Women’s Rights Initiative is set to begin on 15 December 2014 and to continue through 31 December 2017. The purpose of the project is to improve the capacities of women-led civil society organizations (CSOs) and public officials in supporting, protecting and promoting women’s and girls’ rights and interests. Through this initiative, KWN will achieve the following expected results:

  1. Women-led CSOs will have formed, cooperated in coalitions towards and engaged with officials in rights-based advocacy.
  2. Women’s participation in politics and decision-making in municipal and national levels will be further increased and improved, as per the Law on Gender Equality.
  3. Awareness of and attention to addressing gender-based violence will be improved among officials and citizens.

KWN will achieve these aims through interactive workshops and individualized mentoring for its members and public officials (including towards institutionalizing gender responsive budgeting); transparently distributing at least 29 grants to women-led CSOs amounting to €122,000; networking; awareness-raising; research; and advocacy.

ADA’s support will be crucial in contributing to the implementation of KWN’s recently adopted Strategy for 2015-2018. Further, it will build on key results achieved during ADA’s prior two years of supporting KWN.