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More women from Kosovo[1] are reporting cases of violence since the Criminal Code was revised in 2018 to treat domestic violence as a separate criminal offence, which was achieved with the support of regional programme on ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey, “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds,” funded by the European Union.
Kosovo made progress on its legal framework addressing domestic violence, accurately defining all acts of domestic violence, in alignment with the provisions of the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention. For this, the Security and Gender Group (SGG), a multi-stakeholder group chaired by UN Women, drafted in 2018 legal recommendations for including sexual harassment and domestic violence in the Criminal Code. SGG submitted a proposal emphasizing the need to define domestic violence in accordance with the requirements of the Istanbul Convention.
As per the amendment of the Criminal Code, the perpetrator can be sentenced up to three years in jail. Since the revisions in the Criminal Code, reports of domestic violence cases have increased according to Kosovo Police. In 2019, 650 more cases were registered than in 2017.
Noting the increase in reporting of domestic violence cases, the former Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu stated: “No one should be silent when faced with violent and punishable actions that endanger the lives of women and society as a whole. This is why this amendment is both a preventive and punitive mechanism.
