Kosovo Women's Network

KWN Launches 1325 Facts and Fables at President’s Forum

23.10.2022

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) launched on Saturday (22 October) our new book 1325 Facts & Fables during the Women, Peace and Security Forum, an initiative of the President of the Republic of Kosovo, H.E. Dr. Vjosa Osmani Sadriu.

The book includes “facts”, that is, statistics, data, and names, and “fables”: stories of how people perceive the implementation of the Resolution from 2000 to 2020. As KWN Executive Director Igballe Rogova summarised when KWN first began writing this book in 2011:

“I want this publication to be seen not as a report, but more like something that makes you smile and say, ‘How can that happen?’ And I want to bring attention to the fact that 1325 is important, not just its sister resolutions.”

The book’s stories walk readers through the many challenges, successes and victories that women activists have faced in their struggles, calling for the UN, EU, NATO, and Kosovo officials to implement the Resolution. The stories will surprise you, make you smile, cry, or become angry… We also hope that they will inspire.

Launching this book during the President’s prestigious Forum offers us the opportunity to share stories from Kosovo with leaders, activists and actors from around the world. We hope our stories and experiences will support others in furthering the Resolution’s implementation in conflict and post-conflict areas elsewhere.

Although there are several “characters” in the book, this launching event involved only a few voices from local women’s rights activists, who shared their stories from the book.

Feride Rushiti, Executive Director of the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), also recalled the initial struggle to ensure funding for survivors:

” The news went viral that day, making the day unforgettable!… I remember a phone call I received from one of the survivors. When I picked up the phone, the first thing I heard was music in the background. … for the first time, she had that much money in her hands. “I left those big bags of flour in the middle of the living room, to let everyone know that I can also contribute for our home,” she said, literally. It was very emotional! The women’s spirit was kept alive by the organisations, but the recognition from institutions was very important because their status in the family changes, as they become empowered and supported.

Tijana Simić LaValley, from Women’s Rights recalled talked about her experience with UNMIK and EU representatives who failed meet the women’s right organisations in Mitrovica. She said they always met “the same organizations led by three men. She said that the EU representatvies as well as (the EU envoy for Kosovo-Serbia talks Miroslav) Lajcak should be in this event and learn from the book’s stories. She said that the failure of these representatives to hear the women’s right activists today, might be included in the next edition of this book after 10 years.

Ariana Qosaj Mustafa, women’s rights activist and KWN Advisory Board Member said that overall, there is lack of government and political willingness. “Even though they have AGE, they don’t mainstream [but rather] side stream gender,” she said

The storytelling was followed by an open discussion. Nicole Farnsworth, KWN Program Director and Lead Researcher, and the book’s editor, moderated the event.

The electronic version of the book is available on KWN’s website. Hard copies are available at KWN’s office or can be ordered online, by noting “1325 Facts & Fables” in the comments section.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security was adopted in 2000, just as the war had ended in Kosovo and as several insecurities continued. Since its adoption, women’s rights activists in Kosovo have used the Resolution to call for their right to participate in decision-making, peace processes, security forces and economic recovery programs, as well as to seek justice and support for women who have suffered sexual violence during the war. Resolution 1325 calls on states and international missions to ensure women’s participation at all levels of decision-making, ensure protection of women in conflict and post-conflict situations, to prevent violence and to ensure access to relief and recovery. For more than two decades KWN has advocated for and monitored the implementation of Resolution 1325.

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KWN Activists Share Kosovo’s Experience Using Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

23.10.2022

This weekend, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, H.E. Dr. Vjosa Osmani Sadriu and her team gathered more than 500 leaders from Kosovo and the world at the Women, Peace and Security Forum in Pristina.

Among the distinguished personalities speaking the first day, Kosovar women’s rights civil society activist Igballe Rogova from the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) spoke on a high-level panel: “22 years after 1325: what have we (not) achieved?”

“We activists do not give speeches; we tell stories,” she began…

She proceeded to share the history of women’s leadership and peace activism in Kosovo during the 1990s. “We did not carry guns, but we brought bread,” she explained, recalling the infamous Bread March that sought to peacefully break Serbia’s siege of Drenica. This was one among several massive peaceful protests that women organised, in an effort to bring international attention to Serbian oppression under the Milosevic regime and to call for peace.

When the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) came to administer Kosovo after the war, she said that activists were excited and hopeful that UNMIK would bring with it protections for human rights, as well as the recently adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which would ensure women’s participation in Kosovo’s state-building and peace processes.

“I wish we did not get so excited,” Rogova said. Rather than ensuring women’s inclusion, UNMIK ignored women leaders. “But we immediately used Resolution 1325 to be heard!”

Even when UN Security Council delegations visited Kosovo (“with 12 men and one woman”), their agendas never initially included consultations with any women from politics or civil society, Rogova recalled. “We used the Resolution to push for them to include us on the agenda,” she said. Even then, they only met women leaders late at night, and requested to talk about “violence against women” and “women’s issues”. In response, women’s rights activists cited Resolution 1325, demanding that they had the right to speak about political issues as well. Shockingly, the delegation said that they already spoke to (male) political party leaders about political issues. Women activists cited Resolution 1325, demanding their right to speak about politics.

Rogova also shared stories of peacebuilding among women in Kosovo and Serbia. In 2006, Women in Black Network activists from Serbia apologised for “crimes committed in their names” by the Serbian government. This was the first publicly apology ever made to Kosovar Albanians, and it was captured on media, RTV21, deeply touching thousands. “For two hours nobody could speak, we were only crying,” Rogova recalled. “We needed that time and space to heal.”

Afterwards, together they formed the Women’s Peace Coalition, writing joint letters parallel to the Ahtisaari-led negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia, where women once again had been excluded; together they made Kosovar and Serbian women’s voices heard.

Rogova emphasised that Kosovo has several women leaders who have pushed for peace and security since the 1990s, including Edita Tahiri, Afёrdita Saraini-Kelmendi, Edi Shukriu, Flora Brovina, Igballe Rogova, Melihate Termkolli, Luljeta Pula, Naxhije Buinca, Safete Rogova, Sevdije Ahmeti, Vjosa Dobruna, and Xheraldina Vula. Many of them, among others, established the Kosovo Women’s Lobby to demand women’s participation in politics and decision-making in post-war Kosovo, including also Argjentina Grazhdani, Arjeta Rexhaj, Belgjyzare Muharremi, Fetije Kёpuska, Flora Macula, Igballe Rexha-Jashari, Kaqusha Jashari, Luljeta Vuniqi, Minire Zuna, Mirlinda Kusari, Sala Ahmeti, Sebahate Grajevci, Valbona Salihu, and Vjosa Nimani (as documented by the Kosovar Gender Studies Centre in History is Herstory, too). She emphasised that men have also been allies in furthering the Resolution’s implementation, particularly Behar Selimi and Besim M. Kajtazi.

Several other women’s rights activists who represent KWN member organisations are participating in the Forum, sharing their experiences in contributing to implementing Resolution 1325, including: Ariana Qosaj-Mustafa; Feride Rushiti, Executive Director of the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims; Luljeta Demolli, Executive Director of Kosovar Gender Studies Centre; Tijana Simic LaValley from Women’s Rights; and Zana Hoxha, Executive Director of Artpolis.

Kosovo women’s rights activists have extensive knowledge and experience utilising Resolution 1325 and furthering its implementation. In sharing our experiences, we hope to share lessons learned, best practices, and strategies that other women’s rights activists, political leaders, and development actors can use in furthering the Resolution’s implementation in conflict and post-conflict areas elsewhere.

For more stories, read our new book, the second edition of 1325 Facts & Fables: A Collection of Stories about the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in Kosovo from 2000 to 2020. #WPSRKS2022

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KWN: Advocacy Letter for Budget Line for Centers for Social Work

20.10.2022

On 20 October, Kosovo Women’s Network sent a letter to Government to advocate for a sufficient budget to cover all expenses necessary for shelters and Centers for Social Work dealing with the protection of women and children who have suffered violence.

See the letter below:

Honorable Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Albin Kurti,

Honorable Minister of Finance, Labor, and Transfers, Mr. Hekuran Murati,

Honorable Dear Minister of Justice, Mrs. Albulena Haxhiu,

Honorable Director of the Department for Social and Family Work, Mr. Mentor Morina,

There is an increase in the reports of cases of violence against women and girls, especially sexual violence. According to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, 85% of victims of sexual violence from 2019-2021 were minors.

The current government of Kosovo has repeated several times that social welfare is one of its main priorities and this has been included in the governing program.

Meanwhile, social services, namely local coordinating mechanisms for the protection and treatment of victims of gender-based violence, continue to operate under challenging conditions.

KWN seeks to strengthen local coordinating mechanisms for the protection and treatment of victims of gender-based violence, specifically, Centers for Social Work, based on the Government’s obligations derived from the Constitution, in favor of the implementation of The Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, the National Strategy for Protection from Domestic Violence and Violence against Women, the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence, and the Gender Equality Program.

According to Law No. 02 L-17 for Social and Family Services, the Center for Social Work (SCW) as a public institution at the municipal level is competent for the protection of all citizens in need of social services. In this aspect, the SCWs are responsible for the protection of children, and consequently also for the protection of women and girls from all forms of violence until their reintegration into society. SCWs have an essential role in the prevention, protection, and re-integration of victims of violence, especially girls. However, based on the research of KWN From Words to Action, SCWs do not have sufficient budget or capacity to conduct their duties, as defined by the legal framework of Kosovo.

As a consequence:

SCWs lack the human resources to manage all the cases assigned to them;
Since they lack human resources, the management of cases by social workers is weak, at the same time women and children are often pushed to return to environments of violence;
Poor infrastructure makes it impossible to monitor the well-being of children and provide a safe environment to help victims;
SCWs lack sufficient space and access to reliable transport, to reach victims, court hearings, or to carry out visits in accordance with their duties.

Since the budget for SCWs is executed according to the budget requirements of the municipalities, the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers also plays a very important role in the funds for these institutions. According to Law No. 08/L-066 on Budget Allocations for the Budget of the Republic of Kosovo for 2022, there is no specific line for the financing of SCWs, but there is a line for Social Policies and Social Services for each budget organization at the local level from which the SCWs are also financed.

The total budget allocated for social services by all municipalities is €8,013,787 with an average of €222,605 and a median of €95,600. From this budget, €2,785,522 are allocated to the budget category ‘Wages and Allowances’. Considering that there are about 464 employees in the municipalities for social services (an average of 13 per municipality), the employment of at least two more workers in each municipality, specifically for handling cases of gender-based violence, including sexual violence and domestic violence per family, it would cost a total of about €444,000 more per year for the Government of Kosovo. Ideally, the largest municipality in the territory of Kosovo, Prishtina, needs twice the amount, which would be about €12,000 more per year.

To ensure the dignified treatment of victims of gender-based violence, in accordance with the legal framework, the KWN has these requests:

The Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers should increase the budget allocated to the SCWs, in coordination with the municipalities, in order to raise their capacities by making the centers functional as defined in the relevant legal framework and the government program; further, these changes should be reflected in the planned amendments to the Law on Local Government Finances;
To increase the budget allocated for SCWs in the Salary and Allowance category (about €456,000) in order to employ at least two more social workers in each municipality, and to focus only on handling cases of gender-based violence ;
To create emergency funds in the Kosovo Police and in the SCWs in order to meet the emergency needs of victims during the treatment of cases of violence.
We also call for the continued inclusion of the budget line, especially for shelters, as licensed service providers providing services required by the Istanbul Convention.

We hope that these requests will be translated into concrete actions aimed at protecting women and girls in Kosovo.

We are ready to meet to discuss these recommendations in detail.

Sincerely,

Igballe Rogova

Executive director

Kosovo Women’s Network

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Together stronger! KWN and AWEN deepen cooperation

18.10.2022

“Together stronger!” This message has been conveyed after the meetings between the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) and the Women’s Empowerment Network in Albania (AWEN).

The AWEN delegation stayed in Kosovo from 12-13 October. During this time KWN and AWEN representatives exchanged information about activism in the field of protecting women’s rights both in Kosovo and Albania.

They have talked about the history of both networks, current programs, lobbying and advocacy strategies, and fundraising strategies.

On the first day of the visit, the Executive Director of KWN Igballe Rogova informed the guests about the history of KWN, noting that from 27 organizations at the beginning, the network now has 190 members.

However, Rogova pointed out the importance of cooperation with the Albanian network.

“That’s why I think that both networks should deepen the cooperation in the future,” she said, informing them of the special programs of KWN.

Ines Leskaj, director of AWEN, said she is very satisfied with the meeting and called for the deepening of the cooperation.

“For us as a network of women’s empowerment in Albania, this visit has been very important as it has brought to our attention the power of being together and cooperation between activist organizations between Kosovo and Albania. Kosovo for us in terms of social activism, especially in terms of social activism and especially in terms of gender equality, has been a model and I think it was a visit that inspired us and will lead us to the path of cooperation to be activists together “, she said.

Feride Rushiti from the Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), said that the KWN has been a strong voice since the beginning of its work.

“I think that the network itself has managed to have civil activism due to the fact that it has within it 200 organizations that have managed to influence state policies in the sense of legislation and despite the political movements that Kosovo has, the network has always been neutral and has not been influenced by daily politics. It has been a powerful voice. I think that the network’s independence, professionalism, and impartiality made it have such a powerful voice”.

On the second day of the visit to Pristina, AWEN stayed at the KWN office where the staff informed them in detail about KWN’s programs.

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KWN Raises Issue of the Need for World Bank Consultation with Civil Society Organizations

17.10.2022

Adelina Tërshani, KWN, during her stay in Washington DC where she participated in the Annual Meeting of the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund, held meetings with key actors of the WB in Kosovo. She met with the Country Manager for Kosovo and for North Macedonia, in the Europe and Central Asia Region of the World Bank, Massimiliano Paolucci, as well as the Advisor to the Executive Director of the WB Group, Hajdar Korbi.

During the meeting, Tërshani presented KWN’s recommendations to the World Bank, focusing on the need for the Bank to continuously consult women’s rights organizations in Kosovo before and during the development of their activities, with the aim of improving the impact of these interventions on women and girls life in Kosovo.

Meanwhile, Paolucci expressed his readiness for a wider cooperation with organizations active for women’s rights in Kosovo, especially with regard to the development of initiatives that directly affect women and girls in Kosovo. He emphasized that the need for consultation with organizations will increase especially during the consultations on the drafting of the Strategy on Gender Equality within the World Bank next year. “The door of the World Bank in Kosovo is open for organizations for women’s rights”, he concluded. Tërshani represented KWN in many other discussion panels within the civil society agenda during the Annual Meeting of the World Bank, where she also publicly raised the issue of the need for WB consultation with civil society organizations.

The Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group brings together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, parliamentarians, private sector executives, representatives from civil society organizations and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness. Also featured are seminars, regional briefings, press conferences, and many other events focused on the global economy, international development, and the world’s financial system. This year’s event took place in Washington, D.C., in October 10-16, 2022.

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Medica Kosova signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Directorate of Education on Gjakova students’ wellbeing

14.10.2022

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) member organization has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Directorate of Education in Gjakova to improve the quality of education and the well-being of students in the schools of the Municipality of Gjakova. The memorandum foresees the employment of several psychologists for schools in this municipality.

They signed the memorandum at the time when Medica was implementing the initiative “Capacity building in the primary education system in Gjakova for treating children/students who are victims of violence, abuse or who suffer from the consequences of COVID-19”.

On 30 September, Medica continued the next phase of training on building positive teacher-student relationships. Their representatives held lectures in different schools of the Municipality of Gjakova, to raise the capacities of teachers about the consequences of violence on children who may be witnesses or who experienced violence.

Medica’s psychologist, Emirjeta Kumnova, spoke to teachers about the consequences of violence among children, but also the ways in which teachers can identify children who suffer from violence.

Kumnova said that “to reduce the consequences of violence and traumatic events in children, one should build positive relationships with an adult.” According to her, teachers can be those people who know the emotional needs of children.

“So the first phase dealt with children’s trauma as a result of violence, but above all, children who grow up in families that do not recognize their emotions,” she said.

She said that sometimes children cannot explain their traumatic experiences through language, but through negative behavior and disobedience in class and school.

This initiative has received support from the Kosovo Women’s Fund, financed by the European Union Office in Kosovo through KWN initiative: “Enhancing the Capacities and Resilience of CSOs: Furthering Gender Equality amid the COVID-19 Pandemic”.

If you want to support KWN and its member organisations’ future work, including to support children who have suffered violence, improve the educational system’s ability to support children and KWN’s general work to improve teaching so that it transforms traditional gender norms and relations within schools, you can donate to KWN at https://womensnetwork.org/donate/.

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KWN Welcomes Approval of Draft Law on Supplementing and Amending Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code

13.10.2022

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) through this press release expresses gratitude for the
commitment of the Ministry of Justice in addressing gender-based violence through the Draft Law
on Supplementing and Amending the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure.

Violence against women and domestic violence must not be tolerated and the punishment
measures for the perpetrators of the criminal acts of rape, sexual violence and domestic violence
must be as severe as possible.

KWN has continuously advocated for maximum punishments for perpetrators of criminal acts of
gender-based violence, which will affect the reduction of such cases based also on the detailed
analysis “From Words to Action” of how the institutions in Kosovo handled these cases.
Therefore we welcome the fact that with this amendment it is foreseen that in cases of criminal
offenses of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence, the limits of mitigation of punishments will
not be applied.

The work being done by the Ministry of Justice and the Working Group is to be congratulated.
KWN also supports the classification of Virginity Testing as a new criminal offense, considering that
this medical test violates basic human rights.
Furthermore, KWN also welcomes the initiative for the planned changes to the Law on Social and
Family Services, which is expected to regulate adequate housing for victims of gender-based
violence and domestic violence.

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New Policy Brief Costs Maternity, Paternity, and Parental Leave Provisions for Proposed Labour Law

10.10.2022

A new policy brief launched today examines how much proposed reforms to the Labour Law would cost the Kosovo Budget. The policy brief, “Costing Maternity, Paternity, and Parental Leave Provisions in the Law on Labour”, was prepared by economist Dita Dobranja for the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN).

This brief assesses the costs to the Kosovo budget should Kosovo harmonise its Labour Law with the European Union (EU) Directive on Work-Life Balance (2019). This EU Directive has important implications for furthering gender equality in Kosovo, towards enabling women and men to spend quality time with their children.

The Women’s Economic Forum, a consortium of organisations, has proposed a model for the Labour Law that would better meet the needs of mothers, fathers, and children, while balancing compensation between the government and employers. The total estimated cost to the Budget of Kosovo would be around €11 million. The brief also proposes ways to pay for these changes.

The total duration of the proposed leave remains similar to the current one. The proposed changes to the Labour Law include that the first six months of leave be considered as Maternity Leave, offered to mothers.

During this period, fathers would be entitled to one month of Paternity Leave. Both maternity and paternity leave would be paid by the government at 70% of the salary.

The second six months would be offered as parental leave, to be used by mothers or fathers, of which three would be paid by the employer at 70% of salary; of these three, at least one month would be non-transferrable leave for fathers.

The last three months would be unpaid, as they are currently, and one of these months also would be for the father and non-transferrable.

This model distributes childcare more equally between parents and improves the current provisions that are contributing to discrimination in hiring, as shown by KWN’s prior research.

Moreover, they would contribute to men being able to spend more time with their children.

“The proposal model improves the currently unequal distribution of the financial burden between employers and the government [and] reduces discrimination against women”, explained Dita Dobranja.

“This would also contribute to increased revenues from personal income tax and contribute to formalization of employment”, she said.

Following the presentation of findings, a group of experts discussed the extent to which these recommendations could be implemented.

“We should also consider the cost on the society as a whole because half of the population are not active in the labour market”, said Syzana Bytyqi Jagxhiu, Official for Policy, Education, Social Policy and Employment at the EU Office in Kosovo. “The proposals given here are very justified proposals”, she concluded.

Lulzim Rafuna, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo, agreed that the analysis is very useful. “If we change the policies, it will be an extra motivation for businesses to hire women”, he said.

Besa Luzha, Program Coordinator from the Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in Pristina, said that civil society has been working towards amending the Labour Law for a very long time and that it is time that civil society’s evidence-based recommendations be taken into account.

“We said all that can be said from civil society. The ball is with the government now, and we are here to help every step of the process in order for the economic situation in Kosovo to be improved”, said Luzha.

The panellists agreed that businesses, civil society and international actors need to collaborate to strongly encourage the government to expedite the passage of the Labour Law and the accompanying budget reforms, recommended in this policy brief.

Sandra Horina, Head of the Austrian Development Agency in Kosovo said, “Now we need actions, and we encourage the government to take those actions [and] to undertake those reforms.”

KWN Executive Director Igballe Rogova emphasised that “it is time for us all to come together and push forward the approval of the Labour Law”.

As Visare Mujko Nimani from UNFPA observed in her opening remarks, “with these policies, we want to change the situation and women can freely pursue their career and at the same time dedicate their time to family.”

KWN wrote this report with financial support from the Austrian Development Agency, the operational unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation.

The Women’s Economic Forum is a coalition of civil society organizations: Riinvest Institute; Kosovo Women’s Network; Democracy for Development Institute (D4D); Kosovo Center for Gender Studies; Network of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Women’s Organizations of Kosovo; Kosovo – Women 4 Women; and the GAP Institute.

Please find the full report published on the KWN website, in Albanian, English and Serbian.

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Pristina, 07 October 2022