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Women, Peace and Security Initiatives: Kosovo
In-country | International

In-Country

Help for Albanian Women in Kosovo
Network of East – West Women – Women’s Legal Group Albania
In the past seven years, women in Kosova have been restricted and their status has declined. As the Albanian population (90% of the population of Kosova) face discrimination and repression by the Serb authorities, life has become dominated by the politics of national struggle in which alternative ideas and ways of improving women's situation are rarely deemed relevant. It is very difficult and virtually unacceptable for a woman to remain unmarried. With less than 3% of women in paid employment outside of the home, and with average monthly incomes of under 150DM for those employed, women cannot afford to live independently even if they have courage to face social disapproval. For women trapped in unhappy marriages divorce is not usually an option as they encounter great opposition, rejection or violence if they wish to leave their husband. Therefore, poverty is becoming more entrenched and general diet and health poorer. This means that most women do not have access to adequate gynaecological, pre-natal, maternal, child brith, and child care. As a consequence of these factors we see increased maternal and infant mortality. Working to improve women's situation in Kosova is difficult. Solidarity, networking, finances and help with resources is very important. The Women's Legal Group in Albania can give you more information about any of the projects that we are currently carrying out, and connect you with the women working on them. You can write to us in English, Albanian, Turkish or Serb-Croat. We can also manage with basic French. We would love to hear from women activists and women's projects around the world. You can contact us at i.rogova@zana-pr.ztn.apc.org. Feel free to disseminate and publish the above information, but please let us know where it is reproduced.

Capacity Building for Roma Women
Igo Rogova/ Advocacy Net
Igo Rogova held two days of training for fifteen women from Kosovo's Ashkali, Roma and Egyptian communities in Prishtina, between December 21 and 22, 2000. Igo asked the Advocacy Project to publicise the results of the training, which she described as a great success. The 2-day meeting helped to break the ice between the women (some of whom had known and disliked each other). They decided that illiteracy among women is one of their most pressing problems, and should be the focus of joint proposals to donors. The group agreed to set up a network and celebrate International Roma day (April 8, 2001) in the Kosovo town of Prizren. For more information on this and other capacity-building programs for women in Kosovo, contact Igo at motratqiriazi@ipko.org
http://www.advocacynet.org/cpage_view/kosovo_igorogova_3_52.html

Conference on violence and women’s human rights
2002
The Centre for Protection of Women and Children arranged the conference, held in Pristina, Kosovo, in which politicians, representatives from local women’s groups, and international organizations took part. The aim was increase contact between the different parties and to influence legislation concerning women’s rights. A series of legislative proposals were formulated which were later submitted to decision-makers in Kosovo. Unfortunately, we do not have more information regarding the Conference. We will keep updating it. For more information visit Kvinna Till Kvinna.

Together Against Violence Against Women Campaign
November, 2001
The Kosovo Women Network launched a hugely popular multimedia campaign on November 25, 2001 (International Day Against Violence Against Women) to address violence against women. The campaign utilized culture and arts expressions as activities, including a Radio drama, a theatre drama, two popular songs, two TV spots, posters, and press/information packs. The rock song "My Short Skirt" became #4 on the Kosova Top 20 and has become an anthem for women throughout Kosova. The goals of the campaign were to increase public awareness of violence against women, including domestic violence, rape in war, and date rape in the community; to increase the public debate on these issues; to increase the level of responsibility and action from the community to combat violence against women; to prevent and support women from violent situations, and to setting violence against women in the context of ethnic violence. Click here for the full report. For more Information visit Kosova Womens Network.

“Women in the Economy” Conference
November 29-30, 2001
More than thirty local organizations members of the Kosovo Women’s Network, participated in this Conference addressing the role of women in the economy. The purpose was to improve the economic status of women, provide policy makers and donors with an equal approach and opportunities regarding the economic resources of women and girls, support the participation of women in decision-making processes, and encourage a change of attitude regarding discrimination based on gender. Among other recommendations, women called to participate in the allocation of loans; to have a separate budget within the education ministry to support the education of girls; to include education curricula to promote gender equality; and to organize campaigns regarding the girl's right to receive education in order to produce conditions for an easy economic participation in free market. Click here for the full report on the Conference. For more information visit Kosova Womens Network.

Literacy Campaign
2000
Motrat Qiriazi organized a literacy campaign in the city of Kosovo, and in the villages around Mitrovica.They want to every village and registered all illiterate girls and women. After registering all cases, they found women to work as teachers, and set up literacy courses in homes. Unfortunately we don’t have more information about this campaign. We will update it as soon as we receive more information. Click here for the 2000 Report. For more information visit Motrat Qiriazi.

Dance and Song Festival of Has
2000
With the aim of bringing togsther villages fractured by war and post-conflict, Motrat Qiriazi supported theDance and Song Festival of Has. The festival had not been held for ten years because of the oppression by Serbian authorities. MQ activists were actively involved in its planning and execution. They also donate costumes, which had been destroyed when the houses of Has were burnt by the military in spring 1999. In addition, MQ activists, updated the festival, by designing a specifically feminist piece. For more information visit Motrat Qiriazi.

Find Kosovo Refugees
1995
The Association of the Balkan News Agencies launched an online database called “Find Kosovo Refugees”, in which people can post or read messages of displaced persons from Kosovo. The aim is to help people to find and contact their families. Click here to enter the database. For more information visit Macedonian Press Agency.

International

Protect the Rights of Trafficked Women and Girls in Post-conflict Kosovo
Amnesty International
In a recent report, Amnesty International raises concerns about the increase of trafficking in Kosovo since the July 1999 deployment of a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (KFOR) and the establishment of a United Nations civilian administration (UNMIK). Trafficked women often are abducted, kept in conditions that amount to slavery, beaten and raped. Please mail your appeals to arrive as quickly as possible expressing concern for the women and girls being trafficked into prostitution in Kosovo. For more information, please visit the website.

For Health Professionals: Help Protect the Rights of Women and Girls Trafficked in Kosovo
Amnesty International
Kosovo has become a major destination country for women and girls trafficked into forced prostitution. These women and girls are denied freedom of movement and choice of work, are frequently raped and otherwise abused, and are provided with no health care or counseling for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Meanwhile, those guilty of trafficking these women and girls have enjoyed impunity despite the existence of anti-trafficking legislation in Kosovo. Amnesty International is calling on health professionals to take action to protect the rights of these women and girls. Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, on professional letterhead paper if you use this in your work, expressing concern about the serious risk to the mental and physical health of women who are trafficked in Kosovo and urging authorities to implement AI’s recommendations; in particular, to take measures to ensure that the health of trafficked women is protected by providing medical care and counseling, and by prioritizing the health care of trafficked women in the National Action Plan on Trafficking. For more information, pelase visit their Online Action Center.

Peace Vigil
August 20, 2003
"Women in Black" called on all the citizens of Belgrade and Serbia to join them in the one-hour public protest held in the Belgrade's Republic Square. The protest was the response to the violence perpetrated by the Albanian extremists, which culminated recently in the abominable murder of two Serbian boys in the Kosovo village of Gorazdevac. For more information visit Women in Black.

Flora Brovina Campaign
1999
Flora Brovina, a physician and president of the "League of Albanian Women", an independent organization, was abducted from her home in Pristina, on April 22, 1999. President of the League of Albanian Women, she acted with local groups in defense of human rights, and had taken part in organizing women's demonstrations in March 1998 to protest the actions of Serb security forces in the Drenica region. A campaign was organized calling individuals world-wide to send a letter to Serbia’s President, S. Milosevic, urging him to save Flora Brovina and force the Serbian forces to free her. On December 1999, Flora Brovina was sentenced to 12 years of prison by a Serbian Court accused of terrorist actions. Finally, in 2001 she was liberated. For more information visit Women in Black.