Kosovo Women's Network

SDK Advocates for the Establishment of the Consultative Committee for Gender Issues in Podujeva

23.03.2023

Achieving gender equality at the municipal level can be done by identifying gender-based inequalities in education, healthcare, employment, and political participation. To address these issues, it is necessary to have a mechanism at the municipal level.

This was the reason why the beneficiary organization of the 17th round of the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), Sundimi i Demokracisë në Kosovë (SDK), through a round table with municipal officials, the center for social work, and civil society, advocated for the establishment of the Consultative Committee on Gender Issues in the municipality of Podujeva.

The objective was to increase institutional responsibility in gender policies at the local level by engaging civil society in discussions to strengthen gender mechanism.

At the roundtable, it was said that such a committee would offer advice to the legislative body and also to the executive of the municipality itself in avoiding potential defects and providing adequate solutions related to gender issues.

The committee would provide a platform for girls and women to raise their voices on issues and challenges and to participate in decision-making processes. The committee can also advocate for policies and programs that promote gender equality in the municipality. They can work with government officials to ensure that gender issues are included on the municipal agenda.

During the roundtable discussion, the participants agreed that joint and continuous advocacy efforts are necessary for the establishment of this committee.

Naime Podvorica, an official for gender equality in the Municipality of Podujeva, welcomes the establishment of such a committee.”

“We support the initiative for the establishment of the Consultative Committee for Gender Equality. We consider that the activation of this committee with good knowledge in the issue of gender equality helps not only our office but also the decision-makers to make progress in increasing the participation of women in public life in our municipality,” she said.

SDK carried out this activity as a beneficiary of the grant from the 17th Round of the Kosovo Women’s Fund, through the initiative of the KWN “Enhancing the Capacities and Resilience of CSO’s: Furthering Gender Equality Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic,” which is financed by the Office of the European Union in Kosovo

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

Sevdije Ahmeti- a powerful voice for the protection of women’s rights

22.03.2023

“I will not be modest. I am a radical feminist. From scratch, we created a movement based on the needs of women. We started with women’s rights. We gathered a time when we would be accused by politicians. Ibrahim Rugova said it was not the time to fight for women’s rights, it was the time for national rights. We did both at the same time, underground or openly… and that was radical”.

“If you said you were a feminist in the 1990s, you were automatically called a lesbian. We had conflicts [between women], but we supported each other. Women never decided for war. And women were always active in peace and conflict resolution”.

These were the words of Sevdije Ahmeti, one of the activists for women’s rights in Kosovo, a movement that started in Kosovo in the 1990s alongside the demand for freedom and independence.

A woman who never got tired, a long-time humanist and women’s and human rights activist, she became a powerful voice for the protection of women’s rights, especially for women who were raped during the war.

After being fired from her job from the National Library of Kosovo on 23 July 1989, she began working for the Council for Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms, preparing numerous reports on violations of women’s rights for Amnesty International.

This also included providing evidence to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for sexual violence and mistreatment against women in Bosnia and Croatia, when they sought refuge in Kosovo.

Sevdije Ahmeti, together with Vjosa Dobruna, founded the Center for the Protection of Women and Children in 1993., an organization which did not only help mothers and children but provided significant help also in documenting the tortures that the Serbian authorities inflicted on Albanians in general, and women and children in particular.

After the war, Sevdije Ahmeti was one of the first to initiate the issue of survivors of sexual violence in the recent war in Kosovo.

Activist Melihate Juniku shared a few words about Ms. Sevdije, stating that her immense courage, combined with her experience and the information she had, made her an exceptional woman.

Melihate also shared some stories with us about Sevdije.

“On 16 March 1998, one of the most massive women’s protests in Kosovo was organized, with around twenty thousand people joining the March for ‘Bread for the Children and Women of Drenica’. One of the leading women was Sevdije Ahmeti, along with girls and women from across Kosovo. The aim was to inform the international decision-makers that Drenica and the entire population of Kosovo were in danger and that urgent international protection was needed. This protest had a great impact and received widespread media coverage, both domestically and internationally”, she said.

Sevdije Ahmeti’s impressive work on human rights caught the attention of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, USA. In 2001, the OAK Institute for Human Rights invited her to be a fellow and lecturer.

As an activist and humanist, Sevdije Ahmeti worked tirelessly with the KWN, contributing support, solidarity, and knowledge that inspired our work. She was also a member of the Board of the KWN.

To commemorate the feminist and humanist Sevdije Ahmeti, the Kosovo Women’s Network gives, for five years now, the annual award for activist women with her name.

Sevdije Ahmeti was born in 1944 in Gjakova and passed away in 2016 in Prishtina.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

Let’s start Tuesdays with a positive spirit and solidarity!

14.03.2023

As violence, discrimination, sexual harassment, and inequality against women continue, it is very important for girls and women to stand in solidarity, support, and promote each other in all spheres of life.

This was the message conveyed by Igballe Rogova, the Executive Director of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), during the regular KWN membership meeting on Monday, March 13th. Rogova urged people to join FemFest, a global campaign against violence towards women, and to wear red shoes or at least something red once a week on Tuesdays, to demonstrate their solidarity with all girls and women.

“We need solidarity now more than ever. We need to support each other now more than ever,” emphasized Rogova.

When women support and encourage each other, they pave the way for a more inclusive and equal society, breaking the stereotypes and societal expectations that can limit their potential.

“That’s why we will be part of the global campaign against violence. The concept behind this campaign is that every Tuesday, we will speak kindly of each other, refrain from criticizing or insulting each other, and provide support to one another,” explained Rogova, whose proposal was unanimously supported by the members.

During the meeting, KWN and its members shared information about their work and upcoming activities. Among other things, KWN briefly presented the initial findings from its assessment of members’ needs based on the KWN regulations and code of conduct.

Rogova stressed that the evaluation was necessary, and members were informed that those who wish to remain part of the network must accept the new Code of Conduct. Out of the 194-member organizations, 28 have not accepted the new code, and 31 have not responded at all.

“The code is actually not new, it is updated because we have seen sexist, homophobic language among the members and we wanted to strengthen the network because when we say that KWN is working for human rights, it must strengthen all human rights and not just one or two,” Rogova said, saying that the 31 organizations that have not responded can apply to re-join the network whenever they want.

“The door is always open; they can reapply because we don’t close the network door. Out of 194 organizations, today we have 135 members of the network. This is important to share with you,” said Rogova, noting that the Kosovo Women’s Fund has a fantastic team, which tries all the time to help member organizations, but they have not always found understanding.

In this context, she said that the assessment was conducted because KWN was no longer able to take responsibility for the mistakes of organizations before the donors.

“We have created the mechanisms of the Fund; we have always worked together and have not done anything on our own. We have established mechanisms so that if the work gets delayed, or the documents are not submitted on time, we have postponed it until a solution is found. This year, we can’t delay it any longer. Contracts must be implemented in a timely manner. We can no longer hold ourselves accountable for the mistakes of organizations,” said Rogova.

Other key findings of the Assesment include:

40% of KWN members have strategies that lead their work;
On average, every member supports approximately 135 people per year, and, in 2022, KWN supported more than 97,172 beneficiaries;
Most members (93%) said that lack of funds was the biggest challenge they faced;
Related, the second most mentioned challenge was lack of staff (46%) and lack of facilities (24%);
Most members sought longer term grants (62%); larger grants (51%); more flexible grants (18%); and more frequent calls for proposals from the Kosovo Women’s Fund.

During the meeting, the members also shared information about the activities carried out and future plans.

The annual payment of KWN membership, which contributes to the KWN Sustainability Fund, was also discussed, and it was decided that it would be €30. Rogova also emphasized that this year, KWN, through the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), is distributing grants in the amount of €215,000.

Furthermore, Donjete Berisha Muharremi, Manager of the KWF, indicated that the calls have already been closed, and at the moment, three new members of the Grant Review Committee are being selected, who will be included in the evaluation for this round.

The members were informed about the voting method, where three of the six nominated candidates will be voted online and selected by the members themselves: Anisa Ismaili, Nermin Mahmuti, Dilleza Olluri, Jeta Bakija, Aida Derguti, and Ada Shima.

The members present had the opportunity to ask questions and be informed about everything related to the progress of the call within the KWF, and were also encouraged to continue communication with the KWN staff for whatever the need may be.

The member organization Monsig informed the members about the activities held for Gender-Responsive Budgeting, while Artpolis provided information about the organization of the feminist spring school.

On the other hand, ArtWhitoutLimit informed that the film that opened their annual festival dedicated to people with disabilities, “An Irish Goodbye,” won the Oscar award as the best short film.

This meeting is supported by the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

KWN shares strategies for gender-transformative digitalisation in agriculture

11.03.2023

On 7 March, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) had the pleasure of joining the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) AgriTech Talk on gender-transformative digitalisation in agriculture, as a special guest.

Nicole Farnsworth, KWN Program Director and Lead Researcher, shared findings and recommendations from new research conducted by KWN for FAO: “Kosovo Gender Profile of Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods”, which will be published soon.

The study found that rural women and men have equal and almost universal access to smart phones and internet, which can support digitalisation. However, few rural women and men use technology for agriculture. The main reason is that both women and men lack knowledge and information on how to use technology for public services, accessing subsidies, researching new methods, information on prices and weather, marketing products online, business networking and expanding their agricultural activities. Additionally, women spend a lot more time caregiving than do men.

Given rural women’s comparatively lower levels of education, limited time due to care responsibilities, poor access to finance, and social norms, they have fewer possibilities to use digital technology for economic activities, including in agriculture. Thus, outreach efforts need to consider women and men’s different social circumstances that can prevent access to learning and use of technology.

Key recommendations emerging from the study are that the government needs to increase the availability of care services, public transport to rural areas, municipal advisory services, and affirmative measures to support women in agriculture with digitalisation.

Farnsworth also shared strategies for incorporating attention to gender equality into project cycle management. Gender-inclusive digital intervention should follow similar steps as any project as per best practices in project cycle management. Therefore, it must begin with gender analysis to identify the different needs of diverse women and men, she said.

She shared KWN’s innovative conceptual model and methodology for “Gender-responsive Inclusive Digital Transformation”. Adapted from UNDP’s Inclusive Digital Transformation model, it provides a framework for conducting gender analysis on digitalisation.

“We hope this model will be useful for other countries in the Western Balkans and the world in conducting comprehensive gender analysis to inform digitalisation,” she said.

Using this model, KWN is finishing a new report on gender and digitalisation, supported by the European Union and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency as part of the Coalition for Gender Equality in the EU Accession Process (EQUAPRO) to be published soon.

FAO hosted this timely event as the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women began its discussions on “Innovation and Technological Change Education in the Digital Age – Progress toward gender equality”, which will continue through 17 March 2023.

KWN is grateful for the opportunity to share its experience and knowledge with FAO and looks forward to our continued collaboration in furthering gender equality in agriculture and digitalisation.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

We March for a Life Without Violence Against Girls and Women

08.03.2023

The Palace of Justice in Hajvalia was the meeting point of the collective “MARShojmë S’festojmë”, which for the eighth year in a row marks the International Women’s Day, March 8, with a protest march to demand social justice and gender equality.

Many citizens and activists joined this march in the Zahir Pajaziti square continuing to walk toward the Government of Kosovo, where the protesters echoed the calls for a life without violence against girls and women.

As in previous years, this time the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) joined this march, which found support in several other municipalities in Kosovo.

May be an image of 3 people, people walking, people standing, crowd and outdoors

KWN also joined the march of the Feminist Collective in Tirana with the message “We don’t celebrate! We march! For a life without violence for women and girls!” The march conveyed the irreplaceable role of women and girls in building and leading peace in the world.

In Tirana, RrGK also participated in an activity organized by BashArt, installing the “Red Shoes” installation as part of the FemFest festival. The installation, curated by Ajola Xoxa, is a call for awareness and solidarity in the face of violence against women in Albania and around the world. At KWN, we will never forget the women who have died as a result of violence, and we will continue our fight to end violence against them.

On the first day of the FEMFEST program, a panel was organized with panelists from the network of Albanian organizations AWEN and KWN. They remembered activists from Kosovo and Albania who paved the way for the women’s movement and discussed the challenges faced by women in both countries.

For years, KWN has been committed to promoting gender equality and ending violence against women. This fight does not end on March 8, and KWN works tirelessly to develop policies that provide support to survivors of gender-based violence.

Gender equality knows no boundaries! Let March 8 be an echo for the empowerment of girls and women!

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

CSOs Discuss Gender Responsive Budgeting Strategies

28.02.2023

Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) is an important strategy for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Today (28 February) Nicole Farnsworth, Programme Director and Lead Researcher at the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) held an online training on GRB with women’s rights organisations (WCSOs) in the Western Balkans.

GRB helps to ensure that government budgets are designed to address the specific needs and priorities of diverse women and men, towards allocating resources more efficiently, effectively, transparently, and in a way that promotes gender equality. GRB involves mainstreaming gender in all phases of the budget process: planning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation. It acknowledges that due to (diverse) women and men’s differing social, economic, and political situations they may have different needs, priorities, and interests, which must be considered in all phases of the budget process.

Citing Sharp, Farnsworth explained that three core goals of gender budget initiatives are to:

Make governments accountable for gender budget and policy commitments
Change and refine government budgets and policies to promote gender equality
Raise awareness and understanding of gender issues and impacts of budgets and policies

Sharing examples, experiences, and lessons learned from KWN’s more than decade of experience working on GRB, she provided methodologies, entry points, and ideas for overcoming potential challenges.

WCSO participants were interested in translating the knowledge into practice within their own national and municipal contexts, and Farnsworth walked them through specific steps and mechanisms that they can use to conduct municipal, national, and international advocacy efforts towards the institutionalization and application of GRB.

KWN continues to work towards institutionalising gender responsive budgeting in Kosovo at all levels. As a member of the Gender Budget Watchdog Network, KWN continues to monitor progress in this regard, conduct gender analyses to support gender-budgeting, and to advocate reforms.

This particular training was delivered based on WCSOs’ requests for such a training, as part of the Coalition for Gender Equality in the EU Accession Process (EQUAPRO), supported by the European Union and Swedish International Development Agency (Sida).

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

The Importance of Civil Society Participation in Policy-Making

28.02.2023

Throughout February, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) participated in three thematic workshops organized by the CiviKos platform within the Citizen Engagement Activity.

These workshops were focused on “Increasing civil society participation in policy-making,” “Increasing volunteerism for programs of public interest,” and “Developing practices and procedures for contracting civil society organizations (CSOs).”

The activity was based in the four objectives of the Government Strategy for Cooperation with Civil Society 2019-2023. The meetings were attended by representatives of civil society organizations from the local and central levels.

At the meetings, the findings related to the implementation of the Government Strategy for Cooperation with Civil Society for the year 2022 were presented.

Based on the monitoring findings of the Strategy, the Program Officer at KWN, Etleva Malushaj, reiterated the importance of the active participation of CSOs in the creation of public policies.

She raised several points regarding public consultations, emphasizing the need to recruit an official for public consultations and hold information sessions for NGOs as foreseen by the Strategy.

According to her, this would help in better organizing these consultations. She also emphasized the importance of involving stakeholders, especially organizations working for women’s rights, and finding the best possible opportunity to increase participation in public consultations.

Regarding the increase in volunteerism, attention should be paid to the drafting of the legal framework for the regulation of this field. It is considered necessary to insist on the finalization of the concept document on volunteerism. Voluntary work is extremely important in building social solidarity.

During the meetings, Adile Shaqiri, Head of the Social Services Division in the Ministry of Justice, discussed the process of transferring social services from the Ministry of Finance, Labor, and Transfers to the Ministry of Justice.

Malushaj emphasized that CSOs have an important role in providing services, and it is necessary to continue the dialogue with them regarding the practices and modalities for long-term engagement of CSOs in the provision of social services.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

The Shelter in Novo Brdo Raises Awareness of the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence

21.02.2023

A shelter called the Women’s Inclusive Center (WIC) in Novo Brdo organized a two-day workshop on February 13^th and 14^th with representatives from the local self-government, centers for social work, Kosovo’s police, prosecutor’s office and non-governmental organizations that deal with domestic violence and gender-based violence from the municipalities of Ranilugu, Novo Brdo, Partesh, Kllokot, Graçanica and Shtërpce.

The shelter in Novo Brdo carried out this activity as part of the initiative for “Promoting the rights of victims of domestic violence through digital and advocacy activities” supported by the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN).

Adelina Berisha, Program Manager for Addressing Gender-Based Violence in the Kosovo Women’s Network, spoke about the Istanbul Convention and the functioning of municipal coordination mechanisms against domestic violence. She stated that in Kosovo over 68% of women declared that they have experienced some form of violence.

“Although in most countries the most frequent form of violence is domestic violence, there are other forms of violence where women are the victims. In Kosovo, over 68% of women declare that they have experienced some form of violence. When I say in Kosovo, the statistics are quite similar in all ethnicities,” Berisha said.

However, she mentioned that in recent years there has been an increase in reporting to the police about cases of violence.

Among other things, she reminded the participants that “members of the Coordinating Mechanism have a legal obligation to engage in all efforts for combating gender-based violence and violence against women, starting from prevention, reintegration, and rehabilitation of these victims.”

Biljana Nastovska, adviser on gender issues from the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, spoke about the role of cooperation and coordination of many agencies in the prevention of domestic violence. She explained that everyone has a role and responsibility in fighting violence against women.

“When the Convention (of Istanbul) is in question, it says that violence against women cannot be solved by an agency. I mean, very often I hear that the police is needed. The convention is quite clear, that is, one leadership, but everyone has responsibility, the whole society,” Nastovska said.

“Violence against women is very complex. She demands the involvement of the police for all responsible people,” she added.

Meanwhile, Vesna Stanic, director of the Women’s Inclusive Center in Novo Brdo, emphasized that this seminar enabled the attendees to be more informed and receive answers from the panelists regarding the coordination mechanisms for fighting violence.

“Today we have contributed to the municipalities that have not had the mechanism or opportunity to seek support and to hear from our penal officers. As far as I can see, they are even more motivated to form coordination mechanisms in their municipalities,” stated Stanic.

This initiative is supported by the 17th round of the KWN’s Kosovo Women’s Fund with the support of the European Union Office in Kosovo through the KWN initiative “Enhancing the Capacities and Resilience of CSO’s: Furthering Gender Equality Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

KWN Concludes Series of Trainings on State Protocol for Treatment of Sexual Violence Cases

20.02.2023

Today, on February 20th, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) in cooperation with the shelter “Center for Shelter of Women and Children” in Prizren, concluded the series of trainings on the State Protocol for Treatment of Sexual Violence Cases.

The Executive Director of this center, Jubilea Kabashi, thanked KWN for their continuous support in dealing with cases of gender-based violence during the opening of the meeting.

Besarta Breznica, the Program Officer for Addressing Gender-Based Violence in KWN, said that the series of training for the State Protocol for Treatment of Sexual Violence Cases is closing today. She described it as quite effective, considering the number of participants who have benefited from the training.

The Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, was present at the meeting and expressed deep gratitude for the continuous work of the KWN in addressing gender-based violence. She further stated that justice institutions should be more committed to eradicating this problem.

“During the past year, 60 percent of the cases of violence have been addressed or are being addressed, but it should be noted that we also need power from the prosecutorial and judicial council. The percentage of implementation for one year is optimistic,” Haxhiu said.

Vlora Tuzi Nushi, the head of the UN Women Office in Kosovo, also thanked the Ministry of Justice and the KWN for taking this important step in the fight against sexual violence, through a multi-sectoral approach as required by the Istanbul Convention.

“I must also emphasize that the drafting of the protocol is the result of a long-term investment of the European Union in aligning the institutional response against violence against women and girls (VAWG) with the international standards defined in the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Istanbul Convention (IC), which was made possible through the Regional Program implemented in the Western Balkans and Turkey since 2017,” Nushi said.

Officials from the Municipal Coordinating Mechanisms and local institutions were trained by trainer Monica Kocaqi on the State Protocol for Treatment of Sexual Violence cases, its purpose, the management of cases of sexual violence, institutional responsibilities and prevention. Concrete cases of sexual violence were also discussed during this training.

Officials from the municipalities of Prizren, Suhareka, Dragash, and Mamusha participated in today’s training. Meanwhile, the trainings on this protocol were also held in Pristina, Ferizaj, Gjilan, Novobërde, Mitrovica, Pejë, and Gjakovë.

The State Protocol for the Treatment of Cases of Sexual Violence was launched on December 5th, 2022 by the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

This initiative is supported by UN Women Kosovo through European Union funds.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25

Inclusive Sexual Education: A Needed Change

18.12.25

Building Stronger Responses to Gender-based Violence Across Kosovo

18.12.25

Going Glocal 2.0: Sustainable Gender-responsive Futures

18.12.25

16 Days of Activism: Raising Awareness and Strengthening Advocacy

17.12.25

Moving Forward Together: Making Transport Accessible for Everyone

A Conference Held on Programs for Perpetrators of Domestic Violence

16.02.2023

On February 16^th, representatives from local, international, and civil society institutions discussed about the prevention of domestic violence at a conference called ” Breaking the cycle of violence – programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence” organized by the Council of Europe in Pristina.

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) has offered concrete recommendations for the entire ongoing process. The Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said that violence in the family and against women is alarming and must be handled urgently. The influence of social factors and norms mainly contribute to the inequality women face in all spheres of life.

“We are witnessing that violence also ends in fatality. Support requires a multi-sectoral approach and cooperation that empowers victims to not tolerate any kind of violence. The one-year report for 2022 has identified the successful interventions as well as those that are lacking,” said Haxhiu.

Frank Power, Head of the Office of the Council of Europe in Pristina, has said that Civil Society Organizations for women’s rights have played a crucial role in combating violence against women and they have kept our feet on the ground to ensure that our interventions target the right audience.

Meanwhile, Nicole Farnsworth, Program Director and Research Leader at KWN, said that since 2008, KWN has emphasized the need to transform gender norms, address gender power relations, and ensure an improved institutional response in the treatment of abusers towards violence prevention. Farnsworth added that programs related to the rehabilitation of perpetrators should also be reflected in the Law on Protection from Gender-Based Violence, which should be finalized as soon as possible.

She added that legal accountability should be made clear for the institutions that are responsible for rehabilitation, including the provision of services, coordination of work, exchange of information, and independent monitoring of offenders over the long term.

“Based on experience and research, the best way to prevent violence is to transform socialized gender roles, norms, structures and relationships that place women and girls in an unequal position, whether it is here in Kosovo or around the world. ,” Farnsworth said.

Other recommendations for the Government of Kosovo from KWN are:

To continue working closely with CSOs in finalizing programs for perpetrators of violence in Kosovo, relying on their expertise;
To ensure that every program for perpetrators of violence has a comprehensive community-based approach;
Clarify the institutions responsibilities to assist victims and monitor perpetrators from reoffending, especially as the legal framework is being finalized
Ensure adequate training for all offender program facilitators and judges;
Ensure that financial resources are not removed from rehabilitation programs that work for people who have suffered violence, as these programs should be prioritized and funded by the state first;
Continue efforts to transform traditional gender norms and power relations that contribute to gender-based violence through education.

Caterina Bolognese, Head of the Division for Gender Equality from the Council of Europe, announced that policies have been developed according to the six-year strategy to stop domestic violence and violence against women.

“We have focused on boys and men. We have adopted a set of guidelines for men and boys fighting violence against women,” she said.

After the approval of the curriculum, the drafting of the program for treatment of perpetrators will be continued, in order to work towards the prevention of gender-based violence. KWN is expected to be part of the working group that will design this program, ensuring the recommendations and perspectives of civil society women’s organizations will be integrated.

19.12.25

Kosovo Women’s Network Publishes Report “Zero Tolerance? Monitoring the Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in Kosovo”

18.12.25