Informal meeting between women and institution representatives in Shtërpce Municipality

KCSS has organized the next informal meeting between women and institution representatives in Shtërpce Municipality, in the framework of Women, Peace, and Security program.

The meeting was attended by representatives of municipal institutions, police officers, representatives from the Center for Social Work, teachers, journalists, representatives from informal groups of women, youth representatives, and citizens.

Following the introduction to the meeting, the police officers shared data on reported cases of domestic violence. The Shtërpce police station has an adequate number of staff from both communities working on addressing violence. Earlier this year, they conducted a survey to determine the level of awareness among citizens regarding the hotline number for reporting violence. The survey revealed that a significant number of citizens are unaware of the appropriate number to call for help. Furthermore, a major problem identified is that victims often regret or become frightened, leading them to quickly withdraw their complaints or reports.

The director of the Center for Social Work highlighted their challenge in lacking licensed professionals who can offer services related to domestic violence. Nevertheless, there is excellent cooperation between the police and the Center for Social Work. The establishment of a safe house in Novobërdë Municipality has made their work more manageable, as previously victims were referred to a safe house in Ferizaj. However, due to language barriers, victims from the Serbian community were reluctant to seek assistance at that safehouse.

 Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS) is supported by the Kosovo Foundation for Civil Society (KCSF) program 'EJA Kosovo', co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Sweden and the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.