Survivors of domestic violence in Kosovo face reintegration problems

Activists in the field say this is insufficient time to ensure their independence and reintegration into society, which is considered one of the biggest challenges. VOA correspondent Edlira Bllaca spoke with one of the survivors.

Drita, whose real name is known to the newsroom but has been changed for security reasons, was married as soon as she turned 18 years old.

She says that in the first year of marriage everything went well, but after the birth of the girl, her husband had started to use violence first psychologically and then physically against her.

“First he started slapping me, then with a belt, as he thought he would beat me. “He kicked me out of the house, then I went to a cafe and asked the waiter to call the police and they came and took me,” she said.

Drita has only finished primary school, she has no profession or job. In the absence of other opportunities, she has endured husband violence for the past three years. Within these years it has turned three times into a safe home for women experiencing domestic violence.

In the house where she is now, Drita is trying to learn handicrafts, to secure a craft through which she hopes to become financially independent in the future and not be forced to return to her husband or to a shelter.

“I wish my dream would come true, that with these handicrafts that I learned here and that I knew some at home, I would open a shop and start working,” she says.

There are ten safe houses in Kosovo that house survivors of domestic violence and their children.

But the allowed stay in these houses is only 6 months, while activists in this field say that this is not enough time to ensure the independence and reintegration of women into society.

Zana Asllani, head of the safe house in Prishtina, says that for this reason women often return to the house where they have experienced violence.

“It happens more than five times. “Specifically, now we have a woman who has come for the third time in three months”, she says.

Ms. Asllani says that now with the support of the office of the President of Kosovo, they are trying to train many women in handicrafts and tailoring, and with the benefits of sales which are open to all, to help women who experience violence.

But according to her, it is necessary to create a special program in the country which guarantees the employment and reintegration of women.

“This part of the reintegration of women into society is the main challenge, it is understood throughout the country, let alone with us in shelters where we face a lack of finances. The reintegration part must have a special program. “We as shelters have courses inside here with which we try to increase the opportunities for women who have experienced violence,” she says.

In an effort to increase employment for women, victims of violence and the marginalized in general, the Jahjaga Foundation is continuing to work on the “One in Three” or “One in Three” project.

Brikena Avdyli, executive director of the foundation, told VOA that the name refers to world statistics according to which one in three women experiences violence.

“We wanted to integrate this element in the name of raising awareness on this issue. So beyond economic empowerment to raise the level of awareness, but this project serves all marginalized women, not just women survivors of violence, all those who need a push in order to be economically independent, not “They depend on others,” she said.

So far from this project have emerged two collections of clothing made by women, which can be purchased online and in the women’s workshop.

For now, says Ms. Avdyli, four women are involved in the project, who are working on the new collection “One in three and all for one”, or “one in three and all for one”.

“There are different outfits of different figures, activists and so on. We are working on 15 designs and they will be ready in June. “As a start, as you can see in the workshop, it is a small place, it is a small initiative but with great goals to serve as many women as possible”, she says.

By buying the works of these women, citizens can become part of the solution to violence against them, says Ms. Avdyli.

“There is interest, there are sales, normally not to the extent we expect for the future, but we are also hoping to make the community aware that we can all be part of the solution. So do not expect only from institutions, organizations or donors. “Through each purchase, it contributes to the cause and then those funds are used to increase this initiative in order to offer these opportunities to as many women as possible”, she says.

Ms. Asllani meanwhile says that the economic empowerment of women also serves as a form of prevention of domestic violence.

“If a woman has economic independence, she certainly does not stay with the abuser. It will come out, it will become independent. “This is a part in which we should work more as a society, starting from state institutions because without their support we as a non-governmental organization have a very difficult time”, she says.

According to data from the Kosovo Police, the year 2021 has marked an increase in cases of domestic violence, which in most cases is violence against women. While in 2020 out of two thousand 101 cases of domestic violence – one thousand 636 victims were women, in 2021 out of two thousand 486 cases of domestic violence one thousand 968 victims were women./VOA

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