Kosovo Women's Network

KWN Demands Institutional Response Regarding the Incest Case in Mitrovica

24.11.2020

This past Friday, on the RTK show “Udhëve”, the case of a 17-year-old minor who was raped by her father in the Mitrovica region became public.

The Basic Court in Mitrovica found the defendant not guilty, acquitting him of all charges. The main reason for his release, although there was convincing evidence, including the 17-year-old’s statement, was that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to convince the trial panel of his guilt. This has led the prosecution to exercise its right to appeal by referring the case to the Court of Appeals.

Incest remains a taboo in both society and institutions. How seriously is incest dealt with; this case proves it best.

In fact, years ago, the victim’s mother reported the violence she was suffering from her husband. Years ago, the latter banned the minor to go to school. In addition, the victim’s mother reporting to police regarding domestic violence seemed to fall on deaf ears. Should the reporting to the police initially treated according to the legal framework, the most horrible experience of the minor would have been prevented; an experience that will have long-term consequences on her mental health. Making the situation even more difficult, after he was acquitted, the suspect returned to live in the same house as his victims, the woman he physically abused and the girl he sexually abused. The Centre for Social Work, as a body responsible for minors’ care, has distanced itself from any responsibility on the grounds that they had nothing else to do.

Since the case is submitted to the Court of Appeals, we call on the Prosecution to prepare the evidence in cooperation with the appropriate experts, so that there is no room for the perpetrator of incest to live in freedom. We also expect the prosecution to seek protection for the victim.

KWN raises its concern that living in the same environment as the perpetrator of the violence, in addition to harming her psychological well-being, may also affect intimidation and the threat to report again, now that the case is on retrial. We call on the Centre for Social Work to take the case seriously, requesting them to cooperate with shelters so that the minor could be provided with shelter, as well as psychological assistance in case of need. We also call on the Kosovo Police to respond in accordance with legal obligations in cases of violence reporting. We expect the Victims’ Advocates to assist the prosecution in bringing perpetrators to justice.

Incest, although a taboo occurs in every society, including our own, so we seek justice and proper treatment for victims of incest.

We also inform you that KWN will monitor this case treatment and will be on alert and willing to help justice prevail.

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Rikotta and “ATO” with meetings on economic empowerment and capacity building of women

24.11.2020

Bosnian, Albanian and Gorani women from Prevalla and the surrounding villages such as Mushnikova, Gornosella, Recani, Grnqare and Lubinje had the opportunity to be trained on economic empowerment and capacity building.

Organization “Rikotta” and Women’s Center “ATO”, member organisation of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), organized 12 advocacy trainings during the 11 months of their initiative “Economic empowerment and capacity building of women in Prevalla and surrounding villages”.

Thanks to these meetings, 150 women were informed about future employment opportunities, and 90 women were trained on various topics such as advocacy and the methods of advocating to the relevant institutions. 10 of the women participating in the trainings were employed through the Employment Office.

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On August 22, Rikotta and “ATO” held a meeting on pandemic conditions with 30 Bosnian and Gorani women from Prevalla and surrounding villages.During this meeting the lecturer, Fikrije Ferizi, expressed that such initiatives are imperative for this region.

“While a large number of the population suffers from unemployment and a lack of professional development, women, especially those living in rural areas, are most affected by these factors.” said Ferizi.

In addition to the beneficiaries of the project, officials from the Employment Office in the Municipality of Prizren and a representative of the Directorate of Economy, Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development were also present and announced opportunities for employment for these women in their projects.

“Apart from living in difficult conditions, the women of this region also experience isolation and marginalization from their families and society overall,” added the project coordinator and Director of Organization “Rikotta”, Pranvera Hajzeri-Bullaku.

This initiative and these meetings were supported by the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF) and funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

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KWN sends a letter to the Prime Minister Hoti demanding the dismissal of deputy Prime Minister Selmanaj

23.11.2020

23 November 2020

Dear Prime Minister Hoti:

The issue of missing persons is a human rights issue. Moreover, as research has shown, including the Kosovo Women’s Network’s forthcoming research Where’s My Seat at the Table?, the issue of missing persons is among the most important issues that Kosovo citizens want to see the government address, towards sustainable peace in Kosovo and the region. Therefore, it is an issue important to the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) and its members.

Since the war ended, the people of Kosovo and especially the families of missing persons, have continuously requested that the government, and international actors mediating peacekeeping processes, address the issue of missing persons. Without addressing this key issue, there can be no real peace for the hundreds of families still missing their loved ones.

Never have the families of missing persons been silent on this issue. Since the end of the war, they have regularly protested, demonstrated, and raised their voices, calling for a government response. We have stood with them, hearing their stories and their cry for truth.

Never has the Government of Kosovo appropriately prioritized this issue. Rather, for two decades, we have heard is a cascade of empty promises that hold little truth.

In 2009, Mother’s Cry, an organization representing the mothers of Gjakova still missing their loved ones, even went on a hunger strike because they were tired of the government’s empty promises. They sought truth. Even then, after the government promised a response, this issue has not been resolved.

Among our political leaders, Saranda Bogujevci has served as one of the few strong voices that we have had, herself a survivor of several atrocities. Since the moment she was elected to the Assembly of Kosovo, she has represented the interests of Kosovo citizens by raising the important issue of missing persons. She has fulfilled her duty, as a deputy, to represent our interests and to address this serious human rights violation.

In contrast, we have a government official, Deputy Prime Minister Driton Selmanaj, who not only is utterly failing to represent the interests of Kosovo citizens, but is directly offending citizens and political leaders like Saranda Bogujevci, who has represented our voices. As Deputy Prime Minister, his statements do not merely represent himself as an individual, but rather they represent the Government of Kosovo. Thus, through him, the government is offending its own citizens.

In 2015, then Minister of Local Governance Jabllanovic, as a representative of the government, offended the families of missing persons. The people of Kosovo rose up and requested his dismissal. Then Prime Minister Mustafa dismissed him. This is the second time that such an offence comes from the government, and the result should be no different.

Therefore, we join the thousands of other citizens, including those who have already signed the online petition, in calling for Selmanaj’s immediate dismissal. This is the right of the people: to demand accountability from our political leaders to represent our interests.

As people are not allowed to gather for a massive protest amid social distancing protocols, I have taken the personal decision to stand in front of the government for one hour every working day, starting today from 12:00, until he is dismissed. After years of supporting the voices of missing persons, I cannot be true to myself and my beliefs as a human rights activist if I sit idly by and watch silently while Kosovar citizens are directly offended by the very people who have been elected to represent our interests. I will stand in silence, in solidarity with the families of missing persons, as well as with the many people of Kosovo who support their search for truth and their demands for action by our government, until our voices are heard.

Sincerely,

Igballe Rogova

Executive Director

Kosovo Women’s Network

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Public Letter to the Mayor of Skenderaj: Zero Tolerance for Denigrating Language Toward Women

20.11.2020

Dear Mayor of Skenderaj, Mr. Bekim Jashari,

Multiple media outlets reported yesterday on the insulting and denigrating language that the Director of Property, Cadastre Geodesyi in the Municipality of Skenderaj, Ramiz Shala, has publicly used against the assembly member Vjollca Ramadani.

Shala used the offensive terms “crow” (Alb “sorrë”) and “slumdog” (Alb “zagaricë”)d when addressing Ramadani through a post on the social media platform, Facebook. This language is indicator of an unacceptable mentality in the representatives of our institutions.

Through this letter we call on you to dismiss Mr. Shala, believing that such language should never have a place in public institutions, and should be condemned without any compromise.

We remind you that our commitment to empower women’s participation in politics, both locally and nationally, is closely linked to the daily effort to build a society where women and girls are not discriminated against and enjoy equal treatment by society and institutions. Therefore, we ask you not to tolerate this misogyny, which is denigrating for women and their position in society.

The mission of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), a network of 158 organizations, is to support, protect and promote the rights and the interests of women and girls throughout Kosovo, regardless of their political beliefs, religion, age, level of education, sexual orientation and ability. KWN fulfills its mission through the exchange of experience and information, partnership and networking, research and advocacy.

Sincerely,

Igballe Rogova

Executive director

Kosovo Women’s Network

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OPDMK Holds Training on Communication Capacity Building

18.11.2020

On November 18, The Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy of Kosovo (OPDMK), member organization of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), held a one-day training “Communication capacity building for women who want to be involved in politics. “Ten participating women discussed their public appearances, the importance of participation in political and decision-making processes, and the importance of using social networks as a means of communication.

The Executive Director of OPDMK, Antigona Shestan, spoke about the importance of this training for women and girls and disabilities.

“Online training is much more accessible for people with disabilities, due to their physical condition, as well as because people with disabilities differ in needs due to different categories. In this way, our participants are more secure and independent when they do not need assistance,” she said.

Meanwhile, Resmije Rrahmani, Project Coordinator, says that trainings like this are essential to enable these women and girls to get the deserved place in society.

“Online trainings, events, conferences and meetings certainly facilitate the participation of women with disabilities. “I think that internet access is a good tool for the future because of the greater inclusion for women with disabilities who should be part of an equal society,” said Rrahmani.

“Trainings like this are very important for us and for our member organizations. Together we discussed the experiences and challenges faced by women and girls who want to be part of the political process. Above all, we shared ideas on how we can overcome these challenges through the best ways of communicating with the public “, said Gresë Sermaxhaj, Public Relations Coordinator, KWN.

This activity was held in the framework of the initiative “Strengthening Women’s Participation in Politics”, supported by the European Union (EU) Office in Kosovo.

You can read more about this initiative HERE.

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KWN Welcomes ADA Representatives

16.11.2020

On November 16, Sandra Horina, Counsellor & Head of Austrian Development Cooperation for Kosovo, visited Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN)’s office.

Igballe Rogova, KWN Executive Director and Nicole Farnsworth, Program Director/Lead Researcher introduced her to KWN’s work, activities and advocacies, looking forward to continuing cooperation with ADA.

For many years now, ADA remains one of KWN’s closest partners on the path to strengthening feminist movement in Kosovo. Throughout implementation of prior ADA support, KWN has had some great achievements.

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Naš Dom and QGZHR advocate to encourage women’s economic development

16.11.2020

The Women’s Association (UDZ Naš Dom) together with Women’s Centre for Rural Development (QGZHR), from November 2019 to September 2020, held meetings in five municipalities ( Novo Brdo, Ranilug, Gračanica, Partesh, Kllokot) in order to finalize Action Plan and exchange of views on the potential of women entrepreneurs.

These meetings were held in the framework of the initiative “Partnership for Development (of women’s entrepreneurship development-friendly environment)”, supported by the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF) and funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

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Women gathered to create mechanisms and adapt tools to support and create favorable conditions for the development of women entrepreneurs at the local level. From these activities, the two member organizations of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) found that none of these municipalities included a gender component in budget planning.

At a roundtable organized by UDZ Naš Dom, in Upper Makresh on 30 September, representatives from these municipalities gathered to discuss the problems faced by women, recommendations for local institutions, as well as initiatives to support women’s entrepreneurship in the above-mentioned municipalities.

“Of the total number of businesses registered in the name of women, only 3% are actually owned by women (this percentage change from 2.5% to 5%, depending on the municipality),” said Vesna Stajic, Director of UDZ Naš Dom, adding that “none of the five municipalities has incentives intended to encourage the development of women’s entrepreneurship”.

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During the ten months of project implementation, UDZ Naš Dom and QGZHR also advocated to local institutions with recommendations gathered from meetings with women.

The recommendations are as follows:

1. Through regulations to encourage and motivate the participation of women in the identification of the mechanisms and drafting priorities for proposal (local village councils, working groups, professional commissions) of the percentage provided by the Law on Gender Equality (50%).
2. Introduce of the gender component in the budgeting for upcoming year.
3. Introduce of facilitation in tax registration and payment for women start-up businesses, plan subventions for the development of women businesses.
4. Planning social services (kindergartens, nurseries, assistance and home care for the elderly and sick) for the communities that respond to the needs of vulnerable groups, their greater social inclusion and quality improvement of life.
5. Find a solution for creating local transport within municipalities together with stakeholders – local businesses and citizens.
6. Appoint a team of experts from the relevant directorates to work on the preparation of local economic development, which would include projects that would involve women.
7. To appoint a team of experts from the relevant directorates for capacity building of women interested in the labor market in the field of employment and self-employment.
8. Provide space for opening a Business Incubator for start-up businesses, which would mobilize and encourage women to participate in the economy.

Meanwhile, Shefkije Mehmeti, Director of QGZHR among others presented the recommendations collected for local women’s NGOs, women’s CSOs and women’s groups:

1. Inform women about the advantages of registration in the labor market.
2. To inform the citizens about the current laws and their right to work and employment, education (as well as other rights regulated by law), as well as about the mechanisms and means by which they can fight for their rights.
3. Focus advocacy activities / campaigns on the introduction of gender responsive budgeting (GRB) in local budgets, which would promote the development of women’s entrepreneurship, the opening of social enterprises, women’s leadership and participation. Also, to inform consumers about the benefits of producing organic products.
4. Focus activities on increasing the number of women in decision-making positions.
5. Monitor planning and spending of local budget; The analyzes should be submitted to the relevant institutions and made public.
6. To approve the action plans for Networking of three sectors (public, civil and economic) in order to create a favorable environment for the development of women’s entrepreneurship
7. To work on the motivation of individuals or legal entities (business associations, CSOs, groups) for networking, which emphasizes the role of women entrepreneurship in the community, joint market entry and the start of social enterprises.
8. Increase the visibility of women entrepreneurship through organized events.

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KWN and EWLA Co-host the Second Follow-up Workshop on EU Gender Equality Acquis

13.11.2020

On November 13, Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) and the European Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) co-hosted the second follow-up workshop “European Union Gender Equality Acquis: Discrimination on other Grounds and European Institutions”.

KWN staff along with experts from EWLA, Katharina Miller, President of EWLA, and Sylvia Cleff Le Divellec discussed about discrimination practices in their respective countries and what needs to be done to combat efficiently numerous gender inequalities.

Adelina Tërshani, Project Coordinator at KWN, highly appreciated the workshop. She emphasized that it was particularly important because it helps to better understand the role of EU institutions in tackling different forms of gender-based discrimination.

“In Kosovo there is a lack of legal practice on cases of discrimination, it is very important for us to know and adopt the European practices in following such cases.” said Tërshani.

This workshop was held as a continuity of the four four-day workshop “Equal Rights and Gender Equality for women and men in Kosovo”, co-hosted by KWN and EWLA during October 2020.

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“Lulishtja” Advocates for the Economic Empowerment of Farmers in the Villages of Highlands of Gollak

13.11.2020

The Women’s Association “Lulishtja” held information sessions with women in the villages of Dabishec, Hajkobill, Gllogovica, Keqekoll and Mramor to inform them about the opportunities for advocacy in the Directorate of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture to create opportunities to support women farmers of these villages of Highlands of Gollak.

During September, Lulishtja held two trainings, one in the village of Hajkobill with 5 women and 3 men, and the other in the village of Gllogovica with 8 women for agricultural development. The topic of both workshops was “Identifying the needs of women farmers in these villages”, with lecturer Havushe Bunjaku, farmer.

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During the implementation of the initiative, the Director of the Association “Lulishtja”, Sadije Dulahu, held meetings with officials in the Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development and officials in the Directorate of Education of the Municipality of Prishtina. These meetings were organized in order to advocate for the position and needs of women farmers in these villages and to gain municipal support for their work.

“We have received information regarding number of subventions given to women farmers. Whereas, from our research is found that in 2019, Municipality of Prishtina, supported only 40 women, while 493 of the benificiaries were men. ” she said.

The Lulishtja Association also reached out to women farmers and several agricultural producers to help women start businesses and sell products.

Thanks to this initiative of the member organization of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), 71 women and 16 men have managed to advocate in the villages to receive financial support for business development in the agricultural sector.

The Association “Lulishtja” held these meetings in the framework of the initiative ” Advocacy for Economic Empowerment of Women Farmers in the villages of Highlands of Gollak “, supported by the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF) and funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

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KWN Seeks to Integrate a Gender Perspective into New Textbooks

10.11.2020

Through this press release, Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) expresses concern about the content that maintain gender inequalities in textbooks used in schools.

In the fifth grade book “Njeriu dhe Natyra” (Human and Nature), the authors ask students why women who expose their waist risk being sterile? This sentence, which has been reported in the media for three years now, needs to be reviewed and changed urgently.

In many textbooks we encounter sentences like “Mother does the housework”, these are not just an omission. Even if not acted upon immediately, an educational system like this only increases gender inequalities and discrimination, which is already quite worrying and one of the biggest challenges we face today as a society, organization and institutions.

Furthermore, we recall that, in September this year, the Assembly of Kosovo approved the inclusion of the Istanbul Convention in the Constitution of Kosovo. Article 14 of this Convention, regarding education, specifies that parties shall take the necessary steps to include teaching material on issues such as equality between women and men, non‐stereotyped gender roles, mutual respect, non‐violent conflict resolution. This convention provides for the establishment of cooperation between educational institutions and the private sector in raising awareness among students, parents and teachers on this topic.

Improving curricula and textbooks from a gender perspective is part of KWN’s “Quality, Equal Eduation”, program, as one of the fundamentals for living in a society where women and men, girls and boys enjoy a life of equal, equal opportunities in education, employment, political participation, health care and a life free of violence.

Reminding that gender equality is vital for realization and protection of human rights, respect for the rule of law and democracy, KWN asks the Ministry of Education and Science in the recent open call for new textbooks and materials for all grades, improve texts like the one above and ensure gender mainstreaming.

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