The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) in cooperation with Kosovo Lobby for Gender Equality has started the campaign I DARE to promote legal frameworks that protect women and girls from discrimination, domestic violence, sexual harassment and other forms of gender based violence. I DARE is also part of the Project for Promotion of Women’s Rights.
I DARE is play that is being performed to combat the unfortunate reality that although Kosovo does have the legal frameworks in place to protect women’s rights, such laws are not always enforced or implemented. The play should be seen as a way for women to express their frustration with the lack of protection from the law, in addition to being a way of raising awareness of the need for such laws to be enforced. This campaign’s goal is for women to raise their voice, to seek enforcement of their legal rights, and to speak freely about the injustices that they experienced over the past years due to the lack of enforcement of the law.
The actors of I DARE are Kumrie Hoxha, Makfire Miftari, Florentina Ademi, Safete Rogova, and Molika Maxhuni. The play itself consists of five different monologues where a mother cries for her son who was lost during the war, a young bride recalls her personal experience of being raped during the war, a woman cries over her past with her violent husband, a young girl who suffered from sexual harassment when she was looking for a job, and a daughter that seeks her right to inherit family property. Although the play as a whole describes the unfortunate reality that girls and women face in their daily life, the ending is quite positive and empowering. All of the mentioned personal stories encourage girls and women to acknowledge their rights and to use legislation if they face any violation of their rights.
Through these stories, audience members learned more about the laws that are in place in the Republic of Kosova, such as Anti-Discrimination Law, Law on Gender Equality, Law on Protection against Domestic Violence, and the Law on Inheritance.
During October I DARE will also be shown in the municipalities of Rogove, Lipjan, Drenas, Viti, dhe Prizren. Meanwhile in November in Kacanik, Vushtrri, Decan and Malisheve. This campaign is being supported by the Dutch Embassy.