Safe from harm: OSCE teaches girls in Kosovo how to protect themselves

Awareness of the vast scale of gender-based violence and what to do about it is the first step in fighting this type of crime, which frequently takes place behind closed doors.

An OSCE course on gender-based violence was a revelation for Mirjeta, a 16 year-old girl from Istog/Istok in Kosovo.

“I will tell all my friends that this unacceptable, we all need to speak out and fight violence,” said Mirjeta.

She said she would start to spread the message among her community, and explain that being a victim is neither a fault nor a shame, and that violence is a crime that must be stopped.

Now in June 2013, she and 40 other high-school girls from western Kosovo know how to recognize gender-based violence and what to do about it. They all participated in a series of five workshops organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo that included discussions with social workers and law enforcement officials on how to help prevent the crime, and how to report it.

What is gender-based violence?

Gender-based violence is defined as violence directed against a person on the basis of gender. In most cases such violence is inflicted by men on women and girls. It can take many forms, including domestic violence, sexual harassment, and human trafficking, and in extreme cases, forced prostitution.

Mirjeta found violence inside families particularly disturbing: “Sometimes children are the main victims of violence and in other cases mothers put up with the abusive behavior of their husbands in fear of losing their children should they ask for a divorce.”

Almost 200 cases of gender-based violence get reported to the police in western Kosovo region of Pejё/Peć annually but concerns have been voiced that the actual number of cases is much higher. According to the Kosovo Women’s Network - non-governmental organization dealing with women’s rights - over 40 per cent of cases never get reported.

A focus on prevention

“We noticed that a lot of attention is paid to healing the wounds and treating the consequences of gender-based violence rather than on prevention,” said Manuela Vender from the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. “We therefore decided to act preventively and help girls defend themselves if they face violence.”

Manuela noted that the focus of the workshops was on recognizing abuse and the warning signs of violence, and on timely reporting to social workers, police and shelter providers, all of whom can provide support to women and girls. “We wanted the girls to know that they do not have to endure violence and that there are people who can help them if they are ever in trouble.”

Future plans

Manuela hopes that local institutions implement recommendations derived from the workshops, presented in a public seminar on 27 May 2013, which laid out ways to prevent spousal abuse, child abuse and discrimination on the grounds of appearance, age, ethnicity or gender.

“The support of education professionals, social welfare centres, shelter providers and the police is of crucial importance in combating gender-based violence,” she stated.

The OSCE Mission plans to organize similar courses for male students in the future, where the girls will also act as trainers.

“It is important not to stop here, but to take this initiative forward and expand the number of schools included. We must talk about the problem and bring it out into the open,” concluded Manuela.

Written by Mirjana Ugrenović & Nikola Gaon