KCSGJ participates in Advocacy Week in Brussels

13/11/2018

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Members of the Kosovo Centre for Gender Studies participated in the advocacy week in Brussels together with other representatives from women's rights organizations from the Western Balkans region. During the advocacy week, the group held meetings with MEPs, the European Commission, EEAS, and DG NEAR. These meetings highlighted the need for a gender perspective in European integration processes. Some of the key advocacy points presented by the KJCJ together with members of the Kosovo Women's Network were: women's rights at work; violence against women and gender-based violence; peacebuilding process and women, peace, and security. More details were discussed about labor law in Kosovo, offering parental leave, informal economy, and women's property rights remain discriminated against in all these aspects. On violence against women, poor coordination between responsible institutions such as the police, the prosecutor's office and others addressing violence against women was mentioned. It was also mentioned that the legal definition of domestic violence and sexual harassment should be included in the Criminal Code. One of the problems addressed is also the (non) financing of shelters for women victims of violence. In the context of the peacebuilding process, the absence of women as well as the overall gender perspective in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue was mentioned.