The Kosova Women’s Network released the country’s first study on domestic violence, called Security Begins at Home. The Network reports that 46 percent of women and 39 percent of men surveyed had experienced domestic violence at some point in their lives. Although Kosovo has laws for protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators, there is no stand-alone law against domestic violence. Moreover, many of the existing laws are not being fully implemented, due to lack of funding, staff, and court delays. Other victim services are also lacking, including health services, shelters, police enforcement, and free legal services. Many of those surveyed by the Network were not aware of the existence of many of the available institutional services for domestic violence victims.
The report was written to assist the government and civil society in preventing domestic violence, supporting victims, and prosecuting perpetrators. More work also must be done to dispel myths prevalent in Kosovo’s society, which the study also uncovered, such as a widely-held belief that violence is normal in relations, or that “sexual intercourse can never be violence if it happens between two adults who are married.”
Compiled from: Women’s Network Releases First Domestic Violence Study in Kosovo, 2 December 2008 ; Security Begins at Home: Research to Inform the First National Strategy and Action Plan against Domestic Violence in Kosovo, Kosova Women’s Network, 2008.