“In Time” holds meetings for political and economic empowerment of women

The organization “In Time”, beneficiary of the 15th round of the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), has started the activities of the initiative “Improving women’s participation in politics and decision-making processes towards women’s economic empowerment”, funded by the European Union Office in Kosova and supported by the Kosova Women’s Network (KWN). 

In the first meeting held on October 4 with the current assembly members of the municipality of Prizren, women candidates for assembly, and citizens, it was discussed about various problems they face. Also, the data of the research conducted by “In Time” were presented, which show that 94% of women answered that they pay attention to voting women in municipal elections. Moreover, they have numerous demands from women candidates for assembly, such as business support, employment, and equal treatment. 

The candidate for municipal assembly, Vlora Karavidaj, said that voting is a right and responsibility of everyone. 

“Women should be made aware of the importance of their vote, but also men, so they do not prevent women from voting”, she said. 

The other candidate, Dafina Alishani, said that the economic empowerment of women should be monitored. 

“Women are receiving funds that are being used by men. Therefore, there should be continuous monitoring of these funds that women are receiving, so that women are not deprived of their right to work”. 

For Ymran Fusha, candidate for municipal assembly and president of the Association of Crafts and Business of Prizren, it is important to create the infrastructural conditions for women to develop their businesses. 

“Opening a joint point of sale in the city centre would be a good idea to make the products of businesswomen and craftswomen more accessible to tourists, but also for them to help each other”.  

Similar meetings were held with women from the municipality of Vushtrria, and Mitrovica. In these meetings it was agreed that women of all political parties should be united in order for every woman to have her voice heard, and to advance her role in politics, economics, or other fields. 

Meeting in Vushtrri
Meeting in Mitrovicë

“In Time” will continue to implement the initiative by organizing meetings with employed women, women entrepreneurs, and unemployed women, in order to develop their capacity to advocate for women’s priorities. 

KWN Opposes Reduction of Sentence for Nuhi Mavrovqani, Calls on Justice Institutions not to Remain Silent

The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) has received with deep concern, the news of today’s decision by the Court of Appeals to reduce the life sentence to 25 years for Nuhi Mavrovqani, who killed his wife S.M. with a metal rod in July 2020.

This murder left all of us shaken, as we strive every day to end violence and killings against women. S.M.’s murder unfortunately once again proved that violence against women continues to be one of the least punishable forms of violence.

And yet, when the killer was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2020 by the Basic Court in Gjilan, it seemed as if justice was served to a degree, convicting the criminal, though not preventing the crime.

However, today we are again witnessing that when it comes to the murders of women, justice is turning a blind eye.

Therefore, through this press release, KWN calls on the Supreme Court, as a higher judicial authority than the Court of Appeals, to reconsider this decision and reinstate the previous sentence, that is, life imprisonment.

Only in this way will we be convinced that our country, the institutions of justice, and those of defense are serious in addressing violence against and the murders of women.

KWN will not stop until violence against women is not treated only as daily news or as a private matter.

Justice for murdered women! Justice for every killed and raped woman!

Below you can find KWN’s latest research on violence against women and its institutional response.

From Laws to Action

Morina: CEL Appreciates KWN’s Support, Together we Will Achieve our Goals

This month, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) continues a series of publications on the work and contribution of human rights activists in Kosovo.

This time, Blert Morina, Executive Director of the Center for Equality and Liberty of the LGBT Community in Kosovo (CEL), explains more about the history of the organization and the efforts thus far to ensure the realization of the rights of LGBTI people in Kosovo.

Morina also talks about the importance of collaborations with civil society actors in this journey, with special emphasis on the cooperation and support received from KWN over the years.

Brief history of CEL

As far as we can recall, since 2013, CEL has advocated for the empowerment of the LGBT community in our country, Morina mentions that CEL has operated with three main programs, advocacy and lobbying, non-formal education and welfare of LGBTI people in Kosovo.

“For the development of these programs, CEL Kosova is engaged in advocacy and lobbying for the rights of LGBTI persons, such as advancing the first case of changing the name and gender marker in official documents. Furthermore, CEL is engaged in decision-making processes for the rights of LGBTI persons, including in the process of drafting the civil code in the Republic of Kosovo, specifically for the right to marriage “, says Morina.

Furthermore, he emphasizes the provision of psychological services, to improve the mental health of LGBTI persons. This provision takes into account the difficulties caused by discrimination, ill-treatment or even the psychological and physical violence they face.

“At the same time, it is necessary to properly represent the community in the process of reporting cases to relevant institutions, and for this CEL provides legal advice and representation,” he said.

In terms of non-formal education, Morina adds, CEL Kosova continues from the beginning of its establishment to offer various activities dedicated to the LGBTI community, supporters and the Kosovar society in general.

“It is also worth mentioning that CEL has contributed to the education of state institutions to improve services for LGBTI people and to address these issues with sensitivity and professionalism.”

The institutions that have been part of the trainings of CEL Kosova are: Kosovo Police, Courts and Prosecutions of Kosovo.

Joint advocacy of CEL and KWN

In this important journey, CEL has also collaborated with KWN.

In this part of the conversation, Morina describes the most important activities and advocacy campaigns that the two organizations have undertaken together.

“CEL has worked closely with KWN in various aspects towards changing Kosovar society in numerous initiatives. KWN, together with CEL, co-organized the March 8th event to mark International Women’s Day and address important issues for women’s rights. ”

Moreover, the initiative to mark Human Rights Day is a joint endeavour with CEL Kosova, initiated by the Office of the People’s Advocate.

“Among other things, KWN has also supported CEL by joining the challenge of changing the name and gender marker for transgender people, and has joined the process of drafting the civil code, to include equality in marriage as envisaged in the the Constitution of Kosovo.”

Goals can only be achieved together

It is worth noting that CEL and KWN are amending the Civil Code to require, amongst other things, that the article of the Civil Code on marriage aligns with the constitution’s definition of the right to start a family, which guarantees all equally.

The Ministry of Justice has accepted most of the comments provided, but their inclusion remains to be seen during the processing of the code in the Assembly.

Morina shows how important this cooperation is in advancing the rights of the LGBT community in Kosovo.

“All the major achievements of CEL Kosova are the result of collaborations with various actors, including KWN, as one of the most supportive organizations of our journey. Their support helps in our journey for the rights of LGBTI people and accelerates the decision-making process in favor of LGBTI people in Kosovo.”

“CEL Kosovo is always grateful for the support and provision of KWN expertise and we strongly believe that we will achieve our goals by being towards each other,” he added.

Challenges for LGBTI people and women’s rights in Kosovo

At the end, Morina outlines the remaining difficulties for the rights of the LGBT community and women in Kosovo, which are not limited to a single area.

“Unfortunately, the main challenges of LGBTI people continue to remain the same, taking into account that major changes occur mainly in Pristina, the biggest challenge still is the recognition of the existence of LGBTI people throughout Kosovo.” he says.

As for gender equality, he considers that one of the main challenges remains unequal treatment and non-provision of equal opportunities for women.

“These social problems are at the heart of other problems that limit LGBTI people and women from joining society and having equal access to education, security, employment and personal or professional development.”

However, Morina remains optimistic that their path to equality becomes stronger every day.

OPDMK’s Contribution Towards Increasing People with Different Abilities Participation in Politics

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) has consistently strived to strengthen women’s participation in politics and decision-making processes, and recently, since the beginning of 2019, work and advocacy in this area have been supported through the four-year initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics”, supported by the European Union (EU) Office in Kosovo.

One of KWN’s partner organizations in this initiative is the Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPMDK), which through its activities has worked to involve women with different abilities in political processes, and thus make their voice heard.

As we are approaching this year’s local election, a total of 11 people with disabilities, four of them women, are candidates to win a seat in municipal assemblies [source: Handikos].

This is the highest number of people with disabilities in local elections. To find out more about the role of OPMDK and KWN in this success, in this article KWN provides a brief interview with OPMDK Executive Director Antigona Shestan, and with the Mobilizer within this initiative, Resmije Rrahmani.

The importance of KWN’s cooperation with OPMDK

“KWN, with its experience, gave wings to OPMDK. Through the initiative: “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics”, as well as concrete support from the EU, women with disabilities have gained the courage to raise their voice,” says Shestan.

Following the establishment of the Women with Disabilities Group (WDAK), OPMDK has been working on a five-year strategy for women with disabilities in Kosovo.

“The real result of OPDMK’s advocacy was achieved when a young woman of WDAK is running in these local elections; it is about Kaltrina Zeqiri, who is a member of WDAK from Novobërdë”.

“This is a very good opportunity to address the needs of women with disabilities in institutions and thus lead to the implementation of the law in our society,” she said.

Shestan sees this as an opportunity for a woman with a disability to publicly say what she faces every day, and thus protect the rights of this community.

She further talks about the role of creating WDAK.

“WDAK members contributed by contacting women who are active in politics and in their municipality institutions, and thus served as a bridge for OPMDK. Whereas, we, as OPMDK, facilitated their lobbying and advocacy for the rights of women with disabilities in Kosova.”

OPMDK, in cooperation with KWN, has held several trainings with WDAK members, including:

1. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of women with disabilities

2. Advocacy and lobbying for the rights of women with disabilities

3. Communication capacity building for women who want to get involved in politics.

Together to overcome barriers

Of course, there are still some barriers to overcome to achieve equal representation in politics.

However, Shestan credits this initiative, undertaken with KWN, for enabling many of the achievements so far.

“Barriers have always existed in the lives of people with disabilities. However, the initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics” has provided financial support, which is of great importance when it comes to such changes in society, “she explains.

“I hope that all 11 people with disabilities who are in this competition, will be united and helpful for their community”, says Shestan at the end of our conversation.

On the other hand, Rrahmani also has a strong message regarding the importance of voting for women with disabilities in the October 2021 elections.

“No one can know and understand better our conditions and needs, than the people with disabilities themselves. Therefore, vote for representatives with disabilities because nothing can be done for people with disabilities without our direct involvement in public life “, says Rrahmani.

KWN and UNFPA Launch Report “More Choices Through Family-Friendly Policies”

The Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), on September 21 launched the report “Expanding Choices through Family-Friendly Policies”, which reflects the extent to which Kosovo has harmonized the framework with the European Union (EU) Work-Life Balance Directive.

This directive entered into force in 2019 and its main aspects deal with paternity leave, parental leave, care leave, as well as work flexibility for parents and carers.

The report addresses the impact that the Directive will have on the legal framework in Kosovo, given Kosovo’s obligations to harmonize its legislation with that of the EU, in accordance with the Stabilization and Association Agreement.

  • The report launching involved a group of experts who discussed the possibility of implementing the recommendations in Kosovo, especially in relation to the ongoing revisions to the Labor Law.

Leunora Ahmeti-Zylfijaj, Head of the Division for Labour Relations, Social Dialogue, Safety and Health at Work, Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers explained the process of amending the Labour Law and opportunities for harmonizing it with the Work-Life Balance Directive.

“As for the directive for which the analytical report was made, at that time we received recommendations from experts that Kosovo should be prepared for a new directive, that will enter into force in the near future. We can say that at the current stage we have only transposed the main part of the directive into the Labour Law. However, we are still working on changing some parts of it, especially regarding the duration of temporary contracts. But, with the cooperation of civil society and their contribution, we will also include the necessary parts.”

Ahmeti-Zylfijaj stressed the Ministry’s interest in continuing cooperation with civil society during the process of finalizing the Labour Law.

Syzana Bytyqi Jagxhiu, Policy Officer, Education, Social Policies and Employment at the European Union Office in Kosovo encouraged the government to consider the report recommendations as they continue to work on the Labour Law. “I think it is a very good initiative given the situation of women in Kosovo,” she said. “The current law is implemented only in the public sector and it is good to take into account the recommendations and introduce them in the law before the Labour Law is approved.”

Further, Saxhide Mustafa, Coordinator of the Women’s Economic Forum, discussed the Forum’s contribution to prior policy discussions and gave recommendations for harmonizing the current law with that of the EU.

“There should be a balance of parental leave compensation and the burden should be removed from the private sector and transferred to the government. The government is opposing this, but I think that with some analysis they should reflect on this reality. We have to keep in mind that we have a workforce, and we have to see how to activate women in the labour market,” she said.

Offering a perspective from the private sector, Era Jashari, Adviser on PR, International Relations & Service Development at the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce emphasized the importance of the report recommendations being specified in employment contracts. According to her, the recommendations should be specified in the contracts and protected by law.

The transposition of this directive with the laws of Kosovo during the EU membership process directly contributes to improving the low participation of women in the labour force in Kosovo, given that only two in ten women are currently employed. It also helps fathers to play a greater role in children’s lives, and all of this helps transform traditional gender roles and relationships into a more equal society.

The author of the report, also a legal expert, David JJ Ryan presented the main recommendations of the report, which are the following:

  • Increase paternity leave (minimum ten days).
  • Provide parental leave for all parents (minimum four months).
  • Ensure high wage replacement rates to achieve uptake amongst men.
  • Consider financing family-related leave through a collective finance scheme to secure a fairer distribution of costs.
  • Extend equal entitlements to all types of families.
  • Introduce the right to carers’ leave (minimum five days).
  • Develop flexible working arrangements for parent and carers.

KWN and UNFPA wrote this report with financial support from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation.

The full report will be published soon on KWN’s website, in Albanian, English and Serbian.

“Ruka Ruci” Holds a Workshop Calling for Voting More Women in the Elections

On September 29, a member organisation of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN),”Ruka Ruci” (Eng: Hand to hand) held the online workshop: “Whichever list you choose, vote for a woman”, within the four-year-long initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics”, supported by the European Union (EU) Office in Kosova.

This workshop, held in the run-up to local elections in Kosovo, was attended by activists and representatives of organisations in Serb-majority municipalities in Kosova, which aim to strengthen women’s role in politics.

The Project Coordinator, Nevenka Rikalo, mentioned that the activities of this initiative, which is in its third year of implementation, have helped increase the capacity of women to engage in politics.

“We have worked with assembly members and other women. Women’s journey in politics is not easy, because of the patriarchal attitude of society,” she said.

Furthermore, the workshop moderator and activist Radmila Kapetanović called on women to have self-confidence and to communicate assertively.

“Women are more suitable for the community, but unfortunately gender roles are still valid. “Therefore, in this election, both women and men should support women to take positions”.

While activist Pravda Božović emphasised the reasons why voters should circle the names of women on the ballot.

“Women are more eloquent and powerful. Despite this, they still have difficulty reaching positions, especially those competing for the first time. For this reason, they need support”, she said.

Participants greatly appreciated the opportunity to discuss together their concerns and the opportunities for cooperation towards advancing women’s participation in politics.

You can read more about the initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics” HERE.

Kosovo Women’s Fund Allocates Additional €49,673 for 11 Organizations in Kosovo

Today, 27 September, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) officially announced grant awards for additional 11 beneficiary organizations in Kosovo, provided through the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), amounting €158,985 in total. The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) provided support via KWN’s “Further Advancing Women’s Rights in Kosovo II”, co-funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through the Embassy of Sweden in Prishtina in the amount of €49,673.

Through this round, the European Union Office in Kosovo has also provided support via KWN’s initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics” in the amount of €90,733; as well as the United Nations Population Fund in Kosovo (UNFPA) has provided funding via KWN’s initiative “Expanding Choices: Gender-Responsive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans and Moldova”, financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation in the amount of €18,579.

These initiatives will directly contribute to the implementation of the current KWN Strategy for 2019-2022, which was drafted together with KWN members.

KWF grant beneficiaries supported by ADA, co-funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Prishtina are:

  • Gruaja Hyjnore with the initiative: “Sexual education as a subject in primary and secondary schools” (€4,974)
  • Humanus Vita with the initiative: “Raising awareness among youth about sexual harassment and assaults and the importance of early reporting” (€4,754)
  • Center for the Promotion of Women’s Rights with the initiative: “Psychosocial services for women who experienced sexual violence during the war in Kosovo” (€4,006)
  • Handikos Mitrovica with the initiative: “Reproductive health and sex education for women and girls with disabilities in the municipality of Mitrovica” (€4,432)
  • Women’s Association Jeta with the initiative: “Empowering women and youth to prevent gender-based violence in line with the Istanbul Convention” (€4,846)
  • Women’s Association Ura Sociale with the initiative: “Raising awareness for prevention of sexual harassment” (€4,317)
  • Instituti i Psikologjisë Aplikativewith the initiative: “Supporting teenage girls overcome social and emotional problems” (€4,188)
  • Norma Lawyers Association with the initiative: “Learn and act, for a life free of gender-based violence” (€4,970)
  • Women’s Center ATO with the initiative: “Reproductive health education” (€4,552)
  • Women’s Association Gruaja Fermere with the initiative: “Sexual education for youth” (€3,705)
  • Zensko Pravo with the initiative: “Prevention of violence against women in northern Kosovo” (€4,927)

KWF has awarded a total of 34 grants in this round. Read HERE the announcement of 23 grant beneficiaries supported by the EU and UNFPA.

KWN’s KWF provides small grants to women’s organizations that do not have access to other sources of funding and who seek to work for women’s rights and gender equality, prioritising funding for groups working in rural areas and/or marginalized persons. Since 2012, KWF has allocated 227 grants, supporting 122 organizations, with a total amount of €1,170,452. In 2021, KWF receives support from the European Union, ADA, Sida, UNFPA, and the Sigrid Rausing Trust.

KFOR Members Host a Fundraising Event for KWN

On September 5, at KFOR head office in Kosova, KFOR members organised a charity event to raise fund for the Kosova Women’s Network (KWN).

A few days later, on September 22, the official fund handover took place, on which occasion, KFOR members visited KWN’s office and saw the work and activities closely.

On this instance, KWN thanked KFOR members for joining them in the journey toward creating a society where women and men are equal and have equal opportunities in every walk of life.

3,692€ raised during this activity, will go to KWN Sustainability Fund which helps cover basic expenses, and support important programmes for gender equality in Kosova.  

This VIDEO shows the key moments of the fund’s handover ceremony.

On the other hand, during October, KWN will publish an interview with the KFOR member, Sarah Alexandra George, discussing the event in more depth.

Vienna Master Students appreciate KWN’s work

On September 14, a group of students of Applied Human Rights Master from University of Applied Arts Vienna met with Adelina Berisha, Manager for Addressing Gender Based Violence, Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN).

Berisha informed the students about KWN’s work ever since its establishment in 1996. A particular focus on this meeting was put on long-standing activities to combat gender-based violence.

She highlighted the last research report launched by KWN, “From Laws to Action”, which assesses the extent to which Kosovo’s legal framework has been aligned with the Istanbul Convention, ratified by the Assembly of Kosovo last year; and responsible institutions’ implementation of the relevant legal framework for addressing gender-based violence, including the National Strategy on Protection from Domestic Violence and Action Plan (2016-2020).

The students appreciated the meeting, seeing it as a valuable experience and a wonderful opportunity to closely understand KWN’s work.

Kosovo Women’s Fund Allocates €109,312 for 23 Organizations in Kosovo

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Today, 13 September, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) officially announced grant awards for 23 beneficiary organizations in Kosovo, provided through the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), amounting €109,312€ in total. The European Union Office in Kosovo supported these grants via KWN’s initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics” in the amount of €90,733; and the United Nations Population Fund in Kosovo (UNFPA) provided funding via KWN’s initiative “Expanding Choices: Gender-Responsive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans and Moldova”, financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation in the amount of €18,579.

These initiatives will directly contribute to the implementation of the current KWN Strategy for 2019-2022, which was drafted together with KWN members.

KWF grant beneficiaries supported by the European Union Office in Kosovo include:

  • Partners Kosova with the initiative: “Women make the change” (€5,000)
  • Down Syndrome Kosova with the initiative: “Involving persons with disabilities in decision-making” (€5,000)
  • Women’s Association “Me Dorë në Zemër” with the initiative: “Empowering the role of women in public processes, as a guarantee for good governance” (€4,967)
  • Nas Dom with the initiative: “Feminism for beginners” (€4,998)
  • Women’s Association Aureola with the initiative: “Increasing women’s participation in decision-making” (€4,999)
  • Art Without Limits with the initiative: “Empowering persons with disabilities through art” (€4,984)
  • Youth Association for Human Rights with the initiative: “Achieving gender equality in decision-making” (€4,923)
  • In Time with the initiative: “Improving women’s participation in politics and decision-making processes towards women’s economic empowerment” (€4,866)
  • Minority Community Center with the initiative: “I have the right to be informed!” (€5,000)
  • Moravski Biser with the initiative: “Involvement of women from rural areas in public and political life” (€4,767)
  • Glas Zena Partes with the initiative: “Involvement of women in decision-making processes at local level in the municipality of Partes” (€3,640)
  • The Kosovo Midwifery Association with the initiative: “Improving reproductive healthcare of women and girls” (€4,987)
  • Shqiponjat e Dardanës with the initiative: “Supporting women candidates for municipal assembly and raising awareness of rural women and girls about the role of their vote” (€4,895)
  • Vizionida with the initiative: “Promotion of women in politics and decision making in the Municipality of Shtime” (€3,795)
  • Jeto Vepro dhe Krijo with the initiative: “Promoting and supporting women and girls to participate in decision-making” (€4,993)
  • Independent Initiative for Blind Peoplewith the initiative: “Access of people with disabilities to public services” (€4,992)
  • Okarina e Runikut with the initiative: “Women’s Empowerment in Politics and Decision Making” (€4,951)
  • Era Fruit with the initiative: “Empowerment through higher representation of women in local politics” (€4,997)
  • Svet Andjela with the initiative: “Increasing women’s participation in the electoral process” (€3,975)

Beneficiaries supported by UNFPA include:

  • Business Women Mitrovica with the initiative: “Promoting employment through family-friendly workplace” (€4,537)
  • Women’s Association Drugëza with the initiative: “Empowering women in business, a good practice of promoting gender equality” (€4,530)
  • Organization for Local Reforms – EULOC with the initiative: “Promoting family friendly policies and workplaces in municipality of Vitia” (€4,512)
  • Lipjan Youth Centre with the initiative: “Promoting family friendly policies at the local level” (€4,999).

Through this round, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) will also provide support via KWN’s “Further Advancing Women’s Rights in Kosovo II” co-funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), in the amount of around € 50,000. We will announce beneficiaries of these grants in the coming days.

KWN’s KWF provides small grants to women’s organizations that do not have access to other sources of funding and who seek to work for women’s rights and gender equality, prioritising funding for groups working in rural areas and/or marginalized persons. Since 2012, KWF has allocated 216 grants, supporting 111 organizations, with a total amount of € 1,120,779€. In 2021, KWF receives support from the European Union, ADA, Sida, UNFPA, Sigrid Rausing Trust and the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.