Kosovo Women's Network

Civil Society Presents Manifesto for the Implementation of Human Rights and Gender Equality in Kosovo

27.11.2024

With the upcoming elections scheduled for February 9, 2025, civil society has prepared a Manifesto for the Implementation of Human Rights and Gender Equality in Kosovo.

Twelve civil society organizations have signed this Manifesto, which calls on all political parties in Kosovo to prioritize and protect women’s rights, and finally, it will be delivered to all political leaders.

“Our future depends on our commitment to equality, justice, and respect for all citizens. This manifesto outlines the essential demands that should be respected and integrated into the policies of political parties. We also call on all political parties to address our demands in their party programs,” the joint appeal states.

This Manifesto outlines nine key points, where civil society is focused and calls for: an election campaign without hate speech; voting for and respecting the Labor Law; voting for the Civil Code that protects human rights; implementation of Gender Responsive Budgeting in accordance with the Law on Gender Equality; implementation of the Law on Violence against Women; increasing access to public kindergartens, including in rural areas; ensuring access to health, health insurance, and reproductive health; empowering an education system that changes gender norms; and respecting the principles of the Law on Gender Equality towards increasing women’s participation in politics.

Through this Manifesto, civil society organizations call on all political parties to adopt these principles and demonstrate their commitment to women’s rights through their actions and policies. But of course, they also call on voters to hold political leaders accountable and support candidates who prioritize gender equality and women’s empowerment.

For all the details contained in this Manifesto, read the full version HERE.  

The Manifesto is signed by:

Artpolis – Art and Community  

Kosovo Initiative for Stability – KIS  

Riinvest Institute 

Kosova – Women 4 Women 

Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Kosovo (YIHR KS) 

Kosovo Center for Gender Studies

CEL Kosova  

QIKA 

Csgd Kosovo 

Kosovo Women’s Network

Network of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Women’s Organizations of Kosovo 

The Foundation House 

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How Relevant is the EU Kosovo Report (from a Gender Perspective)?

21.11.2024

Today, on 21 Nov., the Europe Union (EU) Office in Kosovo hosted a lively discussion titled “How Relevant is the Annual Report?”, referring to the recently published European Commission (EC) Kosovo 2024 Report. The event gathered EU officials and diverse civil society representatives to discuss key issues in the Report, including public administration reform, gender equality, freedom of expression, and fundamental rights. It was moderated by the EU Ambassador in Kosovo Aivo Orav.

Among the panellists was Nicole Farnsworth, Program Director and Lead Researcher at the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN). She underscored the importance of treating gender-based violence as a Rule of Law issue within the EC Report, considering that it is one of the most widespread crimes in Kosovo. While the Government has progressed with legislation, judges continue to “reconcile” couples and state that women have “withdrawn” charges, which should not happen in criminal cases; rather, automatic (ex officio) prosecution should occur when a crime has been committed. These issues need to be treated under “Functioning of the Judiciary”, rather than the gender equality section of the EC Report.

While praising the work of dedicated journalists who carefully and respectfully cover cases of gender-based violence, Farnsworth critiqued media portals that sensationalise gender-based violence, promote victim-blaming, and enable hate speech, urging editors to take greater responsibility for fostering ethical reporting.

“We must draw a line between free speech and hate speech that enables violence and harassment against women,” she said.

Towards addressing this, KWN has called for clear definitions of cyber harassment and cyber bullying, among others, in the Criminal Code, towards aligning it with the new EU Directive on Prevention of Violence against Women. KWN also has emphasised the importance of municipalities allocating budgets for hiring at least two additional trained social workers to focus on assisting gender-based violence cases, as per the new State Protocol for Handling Cases of Sexual Violence.

Farnsworth also emphasised the importance of institutionalising gender-responsive budgeting as part of ongoing public finance reforms, towards implementing the Law on Gender Equality and international commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (5.c.1.). She raised concerns about the lack of transparency in drafting key laws on public finance and procurement, warning that excluding civil society from these processes risks sidelining essential expertise towards incorporating gender-focused provisions.

In the end, she emphasised the importance of i) the EC Report including an intersectional perspective that considers diverse women of all ethnicities and abilities; ii) the EU and Government continuing the dialogue with diverse civil society representatives related to various chapters of the EU acquis, regardless of whether EU measures against Kosovo continue; and iii) mainstreaming gender equality throughout all chapters of the Report.

“The EU must mainstream gender equality into all chapters of progress reports and not confine it to the gender equality chapter,” she said. She referred participants to KWN’s Commentary for examples of how gender can be mainstreamed across various chapters, which was prepared together with the Kosovar Gender Studies Centre.

Farnsworth concluded her remarks by highlighting a concerning injustice faced by women who worked in the parliament, who have been protesting for weeks in front of the institution, demanding their right to receive the minimum wage, as approved by the Government. She shared that the women were forcibly removed from the parliament premises, along with their belongings yesterday. She expressed regret at not being able to join their protest due to the overlapping schedule with this panel. To show solidarity with them and their struggle, she asked all participants to stand briefly to demonstrate their solidarity with the women workers.

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Activists Advocate Gender-responsive EU Accession in Brussels

21.11.2024

Last week, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), represented by Nicole Farnsworth, together with KWN members the Kosovar Gender Studies Center (KGSC) and Mitrovica Women Association for Human Rights (MWAHR), took part in the EU Advocacy Week, organised annually by the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation in Brussels. The delegation advocated in solidarity with other activists from the Western Balkans region, engaging in meaningful and productive discussions with EU representatives and civil society partners, including from the European Commission, European External Action Service (EEAS), and European Council.

The Kosovo delegation met representatives of the European Commission to discuss its 2024 Kosovo Report. They suggested how the Report could have included an improved gender perspective, drawing from a Commentary on the Report. Concerns were raised about failures to harmonise the Law on Local Elections and the Law on General Elections with the Law on Gender Equality, ensuring women’s 50% representation in assemblies amid forthcoming elections; the need for further work to address gender-based violence, including cybercrime; the Kosovo Assembly’s failure to adopt the Civil Code to protect several fundamental rights; the Government’s withdrawal of the labour law from the legislative calendar despite its crucial implications for women labour force participation; the need to safeguard women’s reproductive health in several forthcoming laws; and opportunities for integrating gender considerations in reforms related to digitalisation, as per KWN’s EU and Swedish-funded evidence-based recommendations. KWN emphasised the need for greater transparency regarding ongoing amendments to public finance laws, towards ensuring that gender-responsive budgeting is adequately institutionalised via its inclusion in public finance and procurement laws, in line with global best practices. KWN also raised concerns about the gender-responsiveness of the Growth Plan and need for monitoring the quality of implementation.

Photo: Johanna de Tessieres

During the meeting with EEAS, the delegation discussed concerns regarding the lack of progress in the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and women’s insufficient meaningful engagement in dialogue, particularly at a local level. Concerns over misinformation campaigns were also discussed.

KWN also met several other organisations to discuss opportunities for collaboration, particularly in forthcoming advocacy planned with the Gender Budget Watchdog Network, including with the European Women’s Lobby, Friends of Europe, Concord, ODI, and UN Women, supported by the Austrian Development Agency and Sweden.

25.04.25

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Sexual Education’s Impact in Drenas Schools

13.11.2024

Founded by a group of young people from the municipality of Drenas in response to a lack of local activities, the organization Humanus Vita is dedicated to empowering women, girls, youth, and minorities by promoting equal rights and opportunities for professional development and participation in decision-making.

Over the past year, Humanus Vita observed biology classes in four schools in Drenas to identify topics that teachers often avoid, such as aspects of sexual education. The goal was to raise awareness among young men and women about the importance of sexual education and to help teachers address these topics openly and confidently.

This year, Humanus Vita is launching an initiative that builds on last year’s efforts, motivated by the organization’s commitment to improving education for young men and women in the municipality of Drenas. The initiative includes observing biology lessons in several primary and secondary schools in the area, with a focus on how teachers address topics related to sexual education

The executive director of the organization, Doruntina Gashi, emphasizes the significance of the project, given Drenas’s position as a municipality, the community’s mentality, and its rural areas. “I knew it was important, but I didn’t realize just how important it was until we began implementing the project”, she says.

The idea for this initiative originated in 2018, when Humanus Vita launched a similar project in the municipality of Skenderaj, titled “Informing Young People about the Risks and Protection from HIV/AIDS”, highlighting the need for awareness and informational activities of this kind.

Through this initiative, Humanus Vita has monitored the teaching of biology lessons in 8th-grade classes across 12 elementary schools in the municipality of Drenas. “We focused on observing biology lessons, specifically those covering sex education topics such as reproduction”, says Doruntina Gashi.

One of the main challenges was teachers’ reluctance to address topics that society often considers taboo. However, as Doruntina Gashi points out, “The essence is to take action and see results.”

In Drenas, there have been cases of sexual harassment in schools, and our project focuses on raising awareness about identifying both victims and perpetrators of sexual harassment.

Humanus Vita has observed how biology teachers present sexual education topics in 12 primary schools in the municipality of Drenas. The organization also conducted 12 interviews with biology teachers to assess their perceptions of the importance of including sexual education in the 8th-grade biology curriculum. “This is why our society carries shame in its veins, which it should not,” says Doruntina.

Six primary schools in the municipality of Drenas, including both rural areas and the centre, will be the focus of observation by the gender equality expert and project researcher. As the project coordinator, she will observe how sex education topics are addressed in the 8th-grade biology curriculum.

Recognizing the important role of teachers, Humanus Vita conducted individual interviews with 12 teachers from 6 relevant primary schools to assess the importance they place on sex education and the potential impact of including comprehensive sexual education in the school curriculum for students.

The data from these surveys will be compiled into a detailed report, which will include recommendations and conclusions for both local and central institutions regarding the importance of including sex education in schools.

Humanus Vita aims to expand this project to other municipalities, challenging social taboos and helping young people develop knowledge and awareness about their bodies and rights.

This initiative is supported by the Kosovo Women’s Fund with a grant of €9,933.50, funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

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Press Release – Recommendations for the Kosovo Parliament

08.11.2024

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As part of the gender analysis of the Draft Law on the Budget of Kosovo for 2025, 149 civil society organizations and partners, including the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) with its 142 member organizations, have developed recommendations for the integration of gender equality in the budget, urging the Kosovo Parliament to address these critical issues. These recommendations call for improved funding and effective implementation of the budget from a gender perspective, in line with Kosovo’s legal obligations and international standards.

Recommendations for the Kosovo Parliament:

Gender Issues:

• Ensure that each municipality has a budget for salaries and daily allowances for gender equality officers, enabling them to fulfill their legal duties. Institutions that have not appointed a gender equality officer for the past four years should do so as soon as possible, as required by relevant regulations.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence:

o The Ministry of Justice should allocate adequate resources for a Rape Crisis Center, provide support for survivors of sexual violence, and establish an SOS hotline, in accordance with the Istanbul.

Convention:

o Increase the budget for Social Work Centers in the category of Salaries and Daily Allowances to employ two additional social workers in each municipality and four in Pristina, specifically tasked with handling cases of gender-based violence. The additional cost amounts to approximately €514,800.

o The Ministry of Internal Affairs should enhance the protection of survivors of gender-based violence and prevent the recurrence of such cases by allocating funds for the purchase and maintenance of electronic monitoring systems.

• Personal Assistance Scheme: Increase the budget line for financing the Personal Assistance Scheme based on the current time required by personal assistants to support persons with disabilities and address labor rights violations faced by personal assistants, which would cost approximately €18.5 million for 2025 based on the minimum wage. Budgeting based on the average gross wage would cost around €30.4 million.

• Adequate Funding for Care Services: The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and municipalities should fund the establishment of childcare centers to increase women’s employment and education, ensuring sustainable budget support that is independent of donations.

• Publication of a Gender Budget Statement: The government should publish a Gender Budget Statement in accordance with PEFA commitments and SDG indicator 5.c.1, showing how the budget will contribute to advancing gender equality in Kosovo according to the government’s commitments.

• Budget Transparency: The government should publish all gender budget annexes online for transparency, as required by budget circulars to be submitted by budget organizations.

We urge the Kosovo Parliament to include these recommendations in the 2025 Draft Budget without delay to ensure progress toward gender equality and fulfill the country’s legal obligations.

Supporters

GAP Institute

Kosovar Stability Initiative

Riinvest Institute

Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) – Kosovo

Kosovo Center for Gender Studies

Kosovo Women’s Network (142 women’s rights organizations)

SIT – Center for Counseling, Social Services, and Research

UN Women

Women for Women Kosovo

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08.11.24

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Response to Klan Kosova – Do Not Promote the Perpetrators

04.11.24

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Letter to the Chairman of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca

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Women’s Rights Organisations Encourage EU to Further Gender Mainstream Kosovo Report

07.11.2024

Today the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) shared with the European Union Office its commentary, A Gender Reading of the European Commission’s Kosovo 2024 Report, compiled together with the Kosovar Gender Studies Centre. It examines the extent to which the European Commission’s (EC) 2024 Report attends to gender equality and includes recommendations provided by women’s rights civil society organisations (WCSOs). The commentary concludes that the 2024 Report shows a marked decline in gender mainstreaming compared to prior years. While this may be due in part to the new, shorter format of the Report, several opportunities existed to better integrate attention to gender equality across the Report’s chapters.

KWN found that a mere 3% of the Report’s chapters satisfactorily attended to gender equality, while 24% did so partially, and 73% ignored it altogether. The Report did not attend sufficiently to the need for gender equality impact assessments to inform legislative reforms or to institutionalise gender-responsive budgeting. Several chapters did not contain any gender perspective though they could have, such as on Good Neighbourly Relations and Regional Cooperation; Normalisation of Relations between Kosovo and Serbia; European Standards for Internal Market, The Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity, Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion, and External Relations; Relations Between the EU and Kosovo; and Statistical Data. The lack of attention to the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda in security, Kosovo-Serbia relations, and Kosovo-EU relations is particularly concerning. The Report often lacked sex-disaggregated data and an intersectional approach, such as related to gender and rural inhabitants, children, Serbs, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians, and persons with disabilities.

The report does attend to gender equality with regard to the judiciary, fundamental rights. the fight against organised crime, social policy and employment, and science and research.

However, only 43% of KWN’s recommendations were included, a steep drop from 70% in 2023.

KWN calls for the EC to include in future reports: improved intersectional gender analysis and sex-disagregated data in all chapters; recommendations to instituitonalise gender-responsive budgeting as part of public finance reforms; improved attention to the WPS Agenda and gender responsive conflict analysis; address of gender-based violence in the Rule of Law and social policy chapters with concrete recommendations; pressure for the Government to publish regularly administrative sex-disaggregated data and to finalise the Gender Equality Index; ensure affirmative measures based on the Law on Gender Equality are considered in merit-based recruitment; promote a gender-responsive digital transition and address legal reforms to better address gender-based cyberviolence; and continue consulting WCSOs on how to better integrate a gender perspective in the EU Accession process and the EC Kosovo Report.

Here’s the full Commentary and a summary.

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Response to Klan Kosova – Do Not Promote the Perpetrators

05.11.2024

The Kosovo Women’s Network expresses its concern about the public promotion of individuals suspected of gender-based violence, as seen last night on Klan Kosova television. What occurred last night on a show on Klan Kosova is unacceptable and contradicts our collective efforts to combat gender-based violence, a pervasive issue that threatens the well-being of women and girls in our society.

Promoting individuals involved in such cases is not only irresponsible but also sends a dangerous message that violence against women can be tolerated or minimized.

We call on the media to take responsibility in reflecting the seriousness of this issue and to be part of the solution, not the problem. Gender-based violence must be condemned without hesitation and combated decisively by everyone in every way possible – for a fairer and safer society for all.

28.03.25

Reaction of the Kosovo Women’s Network to the Recent Killings in Kosovo due to illegal weapons

08.11.24

Press Release – Recommendations for the Kosovo Parliament

05.11.24

Response to Klan Kosova – Do Not Promote the Perpetrators

04.11.24

Violence Against the Minor is Intolerable – KWN Calls for Justice and Immediate Action

17.10.24

Letter to the Chairman of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca

14.10.24

Reaction: KWN calls for an urgent solution to the strike of technical workers of the Assembly

Violence Against the Minor is Intolerable – KWN Calls for Justice and Immediate Action

04.11.2024

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) is deeply outraged by the horrific case involving an alleged rape of a minor by five individuals. According to local media, this shocking incident included the drugging and subsequent assault of the young girl. This grave violation of human rights and human dignity demands urgent action from all institutions and our society.

We cannot allow such acts to happen in our country. Therefore, KWN calls upon the justice authorities to act with determination and urgency, ensuring thorough and swift investigations to fully clarify the case and impose the maximum legal punishment on the perpetrators. This case should serve as a clear warning to everyone that violence against minors, like any form of violence, will not be tolerated.

KWN also urges institutions to show high sensitivity toward the victim and to provide full support for her and her family, guaranteeing safety and care. Justice must be uncompromising and immediate. It is equally urgent to strengthen protective measures for minors to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

KWN will monitor the institutional response to this and any other case of gender-based violence. The Network stands ready to provide support through free legal counseling and referrals to relevant institutions.

For free legal assistance in cases of gender-based violence, please contact us at: 048 105 800.

28.03.25

Reaction of the Kosovo Women’s Network to the Recent Killings in Kosovo due to illegal weapons

08.11.24

Press Release – Recommendations for the Kosovo Parliament

05.11.24

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04.11.24

Violence Against the Minor is Intolerable – KWN Calls for Justice and Immediate Action

17.10.24

Letter to the Chairman of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca

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Reaction: KWN calls for an urgent solution to the strike of technical workers of the Assembly

The Irresolute Resolution? After 24 Years, Resolution 1325 Remains Valid but Under-implemented

31.10.2024

Today marks the 24^th Anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). Since then, several “sister” resolutions have been adopted to complement the Resolution, often referred to as the “WPS Agenda”. Countries and other actors like UN agencies, the European Union (EU), and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have adopted action plans towards its implementation. Resources have been allocated. And, a plethora of activities have been undertaken towards the Resolution’s four pillars: I) Participation of women in decision-making in conflict and post-conflict situations, including peace-making processes and negotiations; II) Protection of diverse women and girls affected by conflict; III) Prevention of conflict and sexual violence; and IV) Relief and Recovery, ensuring diverse women and girls’ needs are met in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Yet, as conflicts continue and even expand around the world, and as countries continue building and supplying weapons to support conflicts;

As an estimated 117 million women, girls, boys and men continue to be displaced from their homes;

As sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war by militant groups, as well as by those in positions of power, purportedly there to provide humanitarian aid;

As impunity for conflict-related sexual violence continues;

As women remain underrepresented in decision-making at all levels, including in peace processes;

Every day, but especially today, we reflect on both the progress made and the widespread shortcomings of governments and other actors in implementing their commitments to Resolution 1325 and the WPS Agenda.

Despite progress in some areas, we feel several failures firsthand from our experience in Kosovo, where:

Participation: women have been consistently underrepresented in decision-making processes related to Kosovo’s state-building process and in negotiations with Serbia, despite government and European Union (EU) commitments to implementing Resolution 1325;

Protection: while making progress in providing financial support to survivors, the UN, EU and governments all have failed to bring justice for the vast majority of survivors and victims of sexual violence, let alone reparations from perpetrators of this heinous crime;

Prevention: while the NATO Kosovo Force remains present in Kosovo, and both Kosovo and Serbia have made commitments to the WPS Agenda, the continued lack of resolution to Kosovo’s political status contributes to fear of potential renewed conflict for people of all ethnicities living in Kosovo; insufficient efforts have been taken by both governments and the EU to prevent further conflict; and no known gender-responsive conflict analysis has been conducted to identify key factors contributing to conflict so evidence-based actions may be taken to prevent conflict;

Relief and Recovery: while there have been improvements, due largely to women’s rights organisations’ engagement in gender mainstreaming government and donor policies and programs, further efforts can be taken to ensure women and girls in all their diversity benefit from relief and recovery efforts.

For 24 years, the Kosovo Women’s Network’s (KWN) has monitored Resolution 1325’s implementation in Kosovo. Key recommendations from our more recent publications 1325 Facts and Fables (2022) and A Seat at the Table (2021) include the need for governments, the EU, and other stakeholders to:

Increase diverse women’s involvement in decision-making and peace processes, including related to Kosovo’s dialogue with Serbia (in both track 1 and track 2 diplomacy) in accordance with the Law on Gender Equality; as a facilitator of the dialogue, the EU has a key role to play in ensuring diverse women are meaningfully engaged.

Strengthen institutional commitments to fully implementing Resolution 1325 and the WPS Agenda via clear objectives, indicators, and targets in forthcoming strategies and action plans.

Ensure policies towards gender equality have adequate resources for implementation.

Focus on human security, investing more in quality education, health, women’s economic empowerment and women’s safety in their homes, streets, and institutions. Safeguarding diverse women and men’s wellbeing can enhance security and contribute to preventing conflict.

For further details, see KWN’s book 1325 Facts and Fables, which outlines the challenges, successes, and victories of activists advocating for the UN, EU, NATO, and Kosovo institutions to implement Resolution 1325. We hope that others can learn from our experience in advocating for rights related to the WPS Agenda.

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KWN Stands in Solidarity with the Striking Workers of the Assembly of Kosovo

30.10.2024

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) has consistently supported the technical staff of the Kosovo Assembly, who have been on strike for over a month. In October, KWN staff visited the strikers and made public appeals for urgent solutions.

On October 14, KWN released a statement to the media, emphasizing that the neglect of these workers’ demands was unacceptable and called for concrete action. On October 17, KWN sent an official letter to Assembly Chairman Glauk Konjufca, urging an immediate solution, as these workers, though employed by a private company, serve the institution. In a show of solidarity, KWN staff organized a symbolic action by placing banners with the message “SHAME!” on the Assembly doors.

After more than a month of striking without any response from the relevant authorities, one of the workers collapsed and required medical treatment. KWN responded by reiterating that the situation was unacceptable and calling for immediate action. ATV Television requested a statement from the Network regarding the situation and the worker’s condition.

Fortuna Shkodra Haliti, KWN’s Public Relations Coordinator, highlighted that the strikers are seeking improved working conditions. She added that the Network will continue its advocacy and actions until a solution is found for the striking women.

As part of the “Red Shoes” campaign, KWN visited the striking workers to encourage them to remain strong. The Network reaffirmed its support for women and their rights, pledging to stand by them whenever needed.

25.04.25