Kosovo Women's Network

SGG Calls for Specialized Services for Addressing Sexual Violence and Support for Survivors

11.12.2019

Upon the closure of the global campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence under this year’s theme “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape!” the Security and Gender Group (SGG) calls upon the new government to define roles and responsibilities and to build specialized services for addressing sexual violence whilst committing to join efforts in protecting and supporting its survivors.

As a globally occurring and evidently the most under-reported crime, sexual violence needs to be addressed in a manner presenting the least risk to and the ones seeking assistance in the most dignified way. Relevant Standard Operating Procedures need to be developed, as a matter of urgency. The SOP’s should define the roles and responsibilities of each institution involved in supporting victims of sexual violence, and perpetrators should be held criminally liable and punished as prescribed by legal framework.

Examinations conducted by Kosovo Forensic Institute show that majority of victims of sexual violence are minors, with over 60% under 16 years old. The latest figures of sexual violence committed against minors are deeply shocking, but also reveal that not even the most vulnerable, whilst courageous find the appropriate response due to the lack of specialized services for sexual violence cases – vital to move beyond the trauma.

Cognizant of stigma and fear that the survivors of this crime are faced with, the SGG commits to join efforts in promoting the rights of survivors of sexual violence and calls upon competent institutions to protect those rights by providing specialized training for all stakeholders involved to offer the support to which survivors are legally entitled, and establish specialized government-funded shelters for sexual violence survivors.

Providing adequate and rehabilitative services is not only a sexual violence survivor’s right, but also a prerequisite for feeling safe and empowered, for ending impunity for perpetrators and closing the serious gap in under-reporting. SGG calls to work collaboratively with various stakeholders, educational institutions, community, media, civil society organizations and other institutional partners for sexual violence prevention efforts.

We strongly condemn any act of violence against women and girls, and we amplify and unite our voices and efforts to end this intolerable suffering to society.

The Security and Gender Group (SGG) is a multi-stakeholder group, chaired by UN Women. The following institutions are members of SGG and support this public statement:

International organizations: UNKT agencies including the UN Development Coordinator, UN Women, UNFPA, UNHCR, UN Habitat, IOM, as well as the UN Mission in Kosovo, European Union in Kosovo/ EUSR, OSCE, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Finland, Norwegian Embassy

Kosovo institutions: Agency for gender equality, Kosovo Police,

Women’s organizations and NGOs: Kosova Women’s Network, Kvinna till Kvinna, Kosova – Women 4 Women, NGO Zensko pravo(Women’s rights), KIPRED, Jahjaga Foundation, Kosovar Gender Studies Center, Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Kosovo

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KWN Part of Zensko Pravo’s Panel Discussion on Women’s Rights

10.12.2019

NGO Women’s Rights, a member organization of Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), hosted an artistic performance and a debate on women’s and LGBTQ’s rights as human rights on December 10 at the premises of Gallery Aquarius, North Mitrovica.

During the 16 Days of Activism, dynamic panelists were brought together to discuss Kosovo’s challenges and opportunities to combat gender-based violence and discrimination.

Ružica Simić, executive director of NGO Women’s Rights; Igballe Rogova, executive director of KWN; Ariana Qosaj-Mustafa, chair of KWN board; and Ulrika Richardson, United Nation (UN) Development Coordinator in Kosovo, were part of the panel discussion.

This interactive debate focused on laws and mechanisms of Kosovo pertaining to human rights, and on international standards on this matter as well.

Richardson from the UN pointed out that awareness-raising is fundamental to changing the norms that keep women subordinate to men in society. She further emphasized the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the need for the continuous struggle for gender equality and combating gender-based violence.

During the debate, Rogova, Qosaj-Mustafa and Simić shared their knowledge and experiences as women’s activists. In a less-formal discussion, the panelists talked about women’s status throughout history.

Qosaj-Mustafa has spoken more broadly regarding the mechanisms required for human rights protection.

Part of the event was a performance titled “The Orange Feet”, which used art as a means to raise the awareness of all forms of gender-based violence and gender-roles. The presentation portrayed experiences of women and men suffering from violence motivated by intolerance for their gender identity.

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Ombudsperson Launches Human Rights Platform

10.12.2019

The Ombudsperson Institution has launched its new electronic guide, “Human Rights Platform”, during an event at the National Library “Pjetër Bogdani“ in Prishtina.

The platform aims to promote the implementation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, international human rights acts, and applicable laws in Kosovo.

This platform will serve to provide easier access to information about local and international human rights laws. The platform offers two guides making a structured link between legal and judicial instruments on human rights and 17 Sustainable Development Objectives.

“The platform is a working tool that gives an overview of the Ombudsperson’s conventions, laws, and recommendations with just one click. The platform is accessible to all of us, free of charge, and I hope it will be an auxiliary tool for all citizens of Kosovo,” said Hilmi Jashari, Ombudsperson.

Marta Gazideda from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said: “The platform we are launching today is aimed at effectively promoting basic human rights in Kosovo. The platform will also include stakeholder trainings.” 

The Human Rights Platform was designed by the Ombudsperson Institution and developed in cooperation with UNDP with financial support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Visit the platform HERE – http://hrg.rrota.com/ . 

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KWN co-organizes “Stand up for Human Rights” March

10.12.2019

The Ombudsperson together with several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the Kosovo Women’s Network, have undertaken a joint initiative to mark the International Day of Human Rights.

Even the steady rain could not put a damper on protest as concerned citizens marched from Square “Skënderbeu” to Square “Zahir Pajaziti”

Jeta Xhara, one of Civil Society representatives demanded more institutional engagement and concrete measures to fight air pollution.

“We are protesting here today because while we are free from our enemies, it does not mean that our lives are not being cut short on a daily basis. Currently, Kosovo citizen’s live expectancy is 10 years less than other European citizens. This is a slow death that we are causing ourselves.” Xharra said, as she acknowledged the contribution of activists to this event.

Ombudsman Hilmi Jashari, said “Together with the civil society they are protesting for the right to a safe and healthy environment”.

“The issue is healthy air, Kosovar citizens continue to name air pollution as the biggest problem in the country. Other problems mentioned were the lack of drinking water, river degradation and very limited plant life.“, Jashari said.

Blert Morina, Executive Director of the Centre for Equality and Liberty (CEL) mentioned numerous reasons to support this march.

“Seeing the air pollution at alarming rates in recent years; the fact that no concrete action has been taken by the institutions to improve this situation, only actions that exacerbate this are present, we have found it important to dedicate this year’s march for the right to a cleaner environment”, said Morina.

The march promotes the protection of human rights with a particular emphasis on protecting the right to a safe and healthy environment. They are also working for a better integrated, inclusive and inter-institutional community.

International Human Rights Day is marked every year on December 10, in memory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted on December 10, 1948 by the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).

Watch HERE the live broadcast of this event.

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Surrounded by Friends, KWN Marks 17th Members Annual Meeting

07.12.2019

On December 7, Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) held its 17th Annual Membership Meeting, attended by KWN member organizations, partners, friends, colleagues and supporters of the work and activism for many years.

Ariana Qosaj Mustafa, KWN Chair of the Board opened the 17th Annual Membership Meeting with a minute of silence for the victims of Albania earthquake.

She continued by stating that “Today here we are not only girls and women, but men and boys as well are present. This shows that support for KWN is only increasing from day to day. We have always promoted partnerships and solidarity to move things forward.”

Similar appreciation for KWN’s activism and work was given by Gjylieta Mushkolaj, Professor at the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Law and Correspondent Member, Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo.

“KWN, without doubt is aware of the power of the Constitution and its political and legal structures. […] Therefore, KWN is working hard to create an environment conducive to the cultivation of a constitutionalist culture, where the values of our Constitution will not remain mere words on paper”, Mushkolaj said.

Whereas, Vetone Veliu, Executive Director, Mitrovica Women’s Association for Human Rights has highlighted that the change women achieve when they come together benefit the whole society.

“As women of course we can make changes, but big positive changes can only be achieved as part of KWN. KWN has brought us all together over the years, gathering together and doing great and valuable work for women, but also for society generally,” said Veliu.

For the second time the annual “Sevdije Ahmeti” Award was given in honour and memory of feminist activist and humanist Sevdije Ahmeti (1944-2016). This year, it was given to Luljeta Pula-Beqiri for her contribution and commitment for women’s movement during the ‘90s.

“I honestly thank KWN. You have greatly honoured and respected me, you have valued my life’s work, and this is all happening after 20 years of total silence.” said Luljeta Pula-Beqiri.

Subsequently, Adelina Trshani, Project Coordinator of KWN, read Safete Rogova’s poetry dedicated to Luljeta Pula-Beqiri

The 17th Member Annual Meeting continues the tradition that began in 2003 by hosting the First Member Annual Meeting, as a responsibility to the highest governing body that oversees and evaluates KWN’s work under its Statute.

Igballe Rogova, KWN’s Executive Director, recalled the beginnings and the tradition of Annual Members Meeting.

“In the first Annual Meeting we counted a total of 33 member organizations, whereas today we have 158 member organizations. We are growing each day, therefore I genuinely thank all supporters who believed in the work and activism of KWN”, Rogova said.

Rogova has also announced that the funds gathered from the selling of KWN promotional materials will be donated to purchase a wheelchair for Resmije Rahman – known as Biba, OPDMK member. In the background a movie about Rrahmani was playing.

Knowing that KWN considers the Annual Meeting as an excellent opportunity to share information and increase solidarity between women, KWN’s staff reported on the work done during 2019, focusing on the 6 programs of the 2019-2022 Strategy, with special emphasis on the six main programs: 1. Strengthening the Feminist Movement in Kosovo, 2.Women in Politics and Decision-making, 3.Women’s Right to Healthcare, 4. A Life Free from Gender-based Violence, 5.Women’s Economic Empowerment, 6.Improving Access to Quality and Gender Sensitive Education.

KWN Members unanimously approved the Annual Report 2019, further in the second part of the meeting members re-elected Ariana Qosaj-Mustafa and Magbule Hyseni as KWN Board Members, whereas Vlora Hoti was elected as a new KWN Board member. Meanwhile, Blert Morina and Eli Gashi were voted as members of the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF) Grants Evaluation Committee.

The KWN 17th Annual Meeting was supported by the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, and Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

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KWN Reacts Against the Re-victimization of Women Experiencing Domestic Abuse

05.12.2019

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When dealing with domestic violence cases, judges, prosecutors, representatives of the Centres of Social Work and police officers as well tend to blame the victim or reconcile the family, even when all the evidence indicates violence with severe physical and emotional consequences, according to findings of Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) research.

This occurred in the case reported today, December 5, in a Kallxo.com article (available in Albanian only), which indicates violations of the Code of Criminal Procedure, in sessions monitoring by journalists. In this case, the Gjilan Court Branch in Viti confronted a victim of domestic violence with her husband-perpetrator of the violence. The woman in question required medical treatment as a consequence of the domestic abuse. The perpetrator prevented their son from seeking medical help for the victim, and then used violence against him too. According to this journal article, the perpetrator is a major within the Kosovo Security Force (KSF).

According to the same source, it is alleged that the prosecution requested a 30-day custody, but the victim was invited to the courtroom “who without precedent for a justice case, asked for her husband not to be detained”, for the sake of calming the situation, and hence reduced his chances of punishment. Furthermore, according to Kallxo.com, which followed the case from the beginning, the judge in the case, Nexhat Aliu, stated that “…we did not call her [the victim]. She had a hearing for domestic violence before, we didn’t even send her an invitation; she wanted to come, she wanted to come in and she did, but we did not send her an invitation“. He further stated that “she is his wife and we are not destroying families; we are trying to get them together again”.

KWN supports the conclusion of Kallxo.com stating that “the Code of Criminal Procedure has set strict rules where unauthorized persons, including victims, are not allowed to attend court sessions, despite what a Judge’s assertions may be”. Therefore, the Court was under obligation to act according to its duty and legal provisions, regardless of the victim’s willingness to attend the hearing.

Further, KWN recalls the prosecution in Gjilan and other prosecutions in Kosovo under the Criminal Code of Kosovo, in cases of domestic violence, especially for crimes including injuries, conditions similar to slavery, or forced labour. For cases when rape or sexual assault is committed within family relationships, prosecution is required ex officio.

According to Article 70 of Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, the fact that the perpetrator is a Kosovo Security Force member should be considered among the aggravating circumstances when making a decision, and not facilitate the judicial proceedings of the suspect, as is the case here.

KWN demands that the Basic Court in Gjilan Branch in Viti treat this case according to the legal framework in place, while again calling upon the justice institutions to fulfil their legal obligations and not cause re-victimization and forced reconciliation between those people who pose high risk and their victims. Such tendencies for reconciliation have led to fatalities for women and girls, so there is a desperate need for increased care and proper risk assessment in domestic violence cases.

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KWN Presents at European Policy Summit: It Takes Two to Tango: Western Balkans between Hope and Reality

04.12.2019

Kosovo Women’s Network representative Nicole Farnsworth spoke on behalf of the Regional Coalition against Gender-based Discrimination in Labour at a European Policy Summit on the Western Balkans (WB), organized by the Friends of Europe.

During the roundtable on “Women, millennials and the labour market”, she presented key issues undermining women’s labour force participation. To address these, she recommended that the EU and governments:

Invest in affordable childcare and early education;
Amend labour laws in line with the EU Work-life Balance Directive towards giving women and men more rights to spend more paid time with their children;
Further the capacities of labour inspectors to treat gender-based discrimination at work;
Ensure that planned interventions to address the informal economy are based on gender impact analysis, so that they have a “do no harm” approach.

Additionally, she said that the EU can continue to follow gender-based discrimination and labour in country reports, using political dialogue and funding to pressure governments to make reforms.

In conclusion she emphasized that the EU must finish the visa liberalization process.

“Keeping Kosovo’s youth in a ghetto is not only incredibly discriminatory,” she said, “It’s dangerous, making youth suspectable to non-European paths, including extremism. If the EU really wants to support youth, visa liberalisation is essential for young people to have opportunities to travel, learn, understand and relate to people in Europe”.

The international conference gathered EU and WB policymakers, government officials, representatives from businesses and international organisations as well as leading academics and journalists.

Oher topics discussed relating to “Women, millennials and the labour market” included:

How is the EU encouraging the inclusion of youth and women in the Western Balkans labour market?
What measures can the region’s governments take to effectively counter the ‘brain-drain’?
Does the education system in Western Balkans countries prepare youth for the challenges of modern labour market?

Other topics discussed at the summit included WB and EU relations in the current geopolitical environment (“A Dance without Partners?”); digital transformation; and the challenges of reconciliation.

Speakers included Hashim Thaçi, President of Kosovo; Christian Danielsson, Director General at the European Commission Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations; Tanja Fajon, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee and Trustee of Friends of Europe; and Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, among others.

The Regional Coalition against Gender-based Discrimination in Labour involves six women’s rights groups from the WB; Reactor – Research in Action from North Macedonia, Gender Alliance for Development Centre from Albania, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Banja Luka from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Women’s Rights Centre from Montenegro, and the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation. The findings and recommendations presented drew from their latest research on Gender-based Discrimination and Labour in the Western Balkans, supported by the EU and co-funded by Sida.

More about the event HERE

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British Delegation Visits KWN Offices

03.12.2019

Deputy-head of mission of the British Embassy in Kosovo Jacob Webber and Policy Delivery Assistant Erëmirë Berisha were hosted at the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) premises on December 3 by KWN Executive Director Igballe Rogova and KWN Advocacy and Research Officer on Gender Based Violence Adelina Berisha.

Rogova spoke to the embassy representatives about KWN’s background and history since its establishment. “Voters Voice”, a mechanism for citizens to voice concerns to politicians through a cooperation between the KWN and British Embassy in Kosovo during the 2008-2009 was a key part of this interactive discussion.

Webber expressed the Embassy’s interest and commitment to working more on gender issues.

Special attention was given to the work and activities of Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF), highlighting that in addition to advocacy, this Fund actually empowers women in a range of social spheres.

Rogova expressed her gratitude to the British Embassy for continuously supporting activities intended to assist and empower war-time sexual abuse survivors in Kosovo.

Berisha explained KWN’s work and endeavors regarding gender-based violence during 2019 and previous years. Among other issues, she discussed advocacy for the allocation of the Budget for Shelters and the amendment of the Criminal Code.

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KWN Member Organizations mark their 20th Anniversary of the Establishment

02.12.2019

Member organizations of the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), the Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), Medica Kosova, and Medica Gjakova have marked their 20th anniversary of the establishment.

On November 11, KRCT held the conference “Addressing Sexual Violence during the Kosovo War”, through which justice for war-time sexual survivor was demanded. On this occasion relevant stakeholders discussed and shared best practices toward improving future services and treatment of such cases.

Whereas, on November 14 in Gjakovë the book “I am Anemone” was launched, the first of its kind written in Kosovo, published by Medica Gjakova. The book contains stories of survivors of sexual violence during the war. This event was accompanied by a photography exhibition featuring their two decades of work.

October 24 brought together civil society activists, representatives of institutions and international organizations as well, to mark the 20th establishment anniversary of Medica Kosova. Here were presented “20 Years of Transforming the pain into Force”, along with some data on the number of beneficiaries and the types of services offered throughout these years.

KWN has consistently supported these organizations, as well as other organizations and institutions, in their efforts to seek justice and solidarity for survivors of sexual violence in Kosovo.

HERE you can access the livestreaming of KRCT’s conference, click HERE to watch the livestreaming of the event of Medica Gjakova, and HERE you can find the video from the event of Medica Kosova. (Available in Albanian only).

30.05.25

KWN Member Organizations mark their 20th Anniversary of the Establishment

02.12.2019

KWN has consistently supported these organizations, as well as other organizations and institutions, in their efforts to seek justice and solidarity for survivors of sexual violence in Kosovo.

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